Where does “cunningly” come from?
Cunningly derives from Middle English cunning plus the Old English adverbial suffix -līċ, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵen- meaning "to know" or "to beget."
cunningly (English): With cunning, cleverly
Ancestry of “cunningly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cunning | Sly; crafty; clever in surreptitious behaviour;... |
| 2 | Middle English | cunning | — |
| 3 | Middle English | cunninde | — |
| 4 | Old English | cunnende | — |
| 5 | Old English | cunnan | to know, to be familiar with; can, to know how |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | kunnan | to recognise; to know how, to be able |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | kunnaną | to know, to be familiar with, to recognise; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |