Where does “deadly” come from?
Deadly comes from Old English dēadlīċ, a compound of dēad (dead) and the suffix -līċ (forming adjectives meaning "of the nature of" or "characterized by").
deadly (English): Subject to death; mortal; Causing death; lethal;...
Definitions
- Subject to death; mortal; Causing death; lethal;...
Ancestry of “deadly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ness | Appended to adjectives to form nouns meaning "the... |
| 2 | Middle English | -nesse | Affixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns... |
| 3 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |