Where does “diligently” come from?
Diligently comes from Middle English -ly, Old English -līċ, and Latin diligens, the past participle of diligere meaning to esteem or value highly, ultimately from Latin lego meaning to choose or gather.
diligently (English): In a diligent manner, with appropriate effort,...
Definitions
- In a diligent manner, with appropriate effort,...
Ancestry of “diligently”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | diligent | Performing with industrious concentration;... |
| 2 | Middle English | diligent | — |
| 3 | Old French | diligent | — |
| 4 | Latin | dīligēns | diligent, careful, attentive |
| 5 | Latin | dīligō | to esteem, prize, love, have regard, to delight in (something) |
| 6 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 7 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |