Where does “civilly” come from?

Civilly derives from Middle English -ly added to civil, which comes from Old English -līċ modifying Latin civilis, itself formed from Latin -ilis suffixed to a root from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- meaning to lie down or dwell.

civilly (English): in a civil manner; politely

Definitions

  1. in a civil manner; politely

Ancestry of “civilly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcivilHaving to do with people and government office as...
2Middle Englishcyvyl—
3Old Frenchcivil—
4Latincīvīlis—
5Latin-ilis-ile
6Proto-Italic-elis—
7Proto-Indo-European-elis—
8Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →