Where does “carefully” come from?
Carefully derives from Old English carfullīċe, an adverbial form of carful meaning anxious or concerned.
carefully (English): Sorrowfully; With care; attentively,...
Definitions
- Sorrowfully; With care; attentively,...
Ancestry of “carefully”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | carfulli | — |
| 2 | Old English | carfullīċe | — |
| 3 | Old English | -līċe | — |
| 4 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |