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
carefully traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English carfulli
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | carfulli | — |
| 2 | Old English | carfullīċe | carefully, diligently |
| 3 | Old English | -līċe | ly (adverbial suffix) |
| 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 |
via English careful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | careful | Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error... |
| 2 | English | -ful | Used to form adjectives from nouns. Full of,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ful | Appended to nouns to form adjectives denoting... |
| 4 | Old English | -ful | full of; -ful |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -fullaz | -ful |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |