Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eavesdroppingly” come from?

eavesdroppingly (English) comes from English eavesdropping, from English eavesdrop, from English drop, from Middle English droppen, from Old English dropian, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn — he, she.

eavesdroppingly (English): So as to eavesdrop

Definitions

  1. So as to eavesdrop

Ancestry of “eavesdroppingly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englisheavesdroppingpresent participle of eavesdrop; Listening...
2EnglisheavesdropTo hear a conversation one is not intended to...
3EnglishdropA small quantity of liquid, just large enough to...
4Middle Englishdroppen—
5Old Englishdropianto drop
6Old English-ianForms verbs from nouns and adjectives
7Old English-ōjan—
8Proto-West Germanic-ōnCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
9Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
10Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
11Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
12Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
13Chichewaiyehe, she
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