Where does “easterly” come from?
Easterly comes from Old English -līċ meaning "like" or "of the nature of," combined with east, tracing back through Proto-Germanic -līkaz to Proto-Indo-European līg-.
easterly (English): Any persistent wind from the east; Facing the...
Definitions
- Any persistent wind from the east; Facing the...
Ancestry of “easterly”, 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 | — |