Where does “cleverly” come from?
Cleverly derives from English clever, which comes from Old English -līċ, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -līkaz and galīkaz, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.
cleverly (English): Wittily; in a tricky manner; Intelligently...
Definitions
- Wittily; in a tricky manner; Intelligently...
Ancestry of “cleverly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 2 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 3 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 4 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |