Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “elegantly” come from?

Elegantly derives from English elegant, from Middle French elegant, from Latin elegans meaning "select" or "choice," from the past participle of eligo meaning "to pick out," from lego meaning "to gather" or "choose," with the prefix ex meaning "out."

elegantly (English): Gracefully, smoothly, and swiftly; with supreme...

Definitions

  1. Gracefully, smoothly, and swiftly; with supreme...

Ancestry of “elegantly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishelegantCharacterised by or exhibiting elegance;...
2Middle Frenchelegantelegant
3Latinēlegāns—
4Latinēligere—
5Latinēligō—
6Latinlegō—
7Latinlēx—
8Proto-Italiclēg-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-s—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- →