Where does “diffidently” come from?
Diffidently comes from Middle English via Latin diffidere, meaning to distrust, from the Latin prefix dis- combined with a root traced to Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ-, meaning to trust or persuade.
diffidently (English): In a diffident manner; without confidence in...
Definitions
- In a diffident manner; without confidence in...
Ancestry of “diffidently”, 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 | — |