Where does “driftily” come from?

driftily (English) comes from English drifty, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

driftily (English): In a drifty manner

Definitions

  1. In a drifty manner

Ancestry of “driftily”, step by step

driftily traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English drifty

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdriftyTending or seeming to drift; Abounding with...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos
driftily — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer