Where does “exceedingly” come from?
Exceedingly derives from the English present participle exceeding, formed from the verb exceed, which comes from Middle English exceden, ultimately from Latin excedere, composed of the prefix ex- and the verb cedere meaning to go or yield.
exceedingly (English): To a great or unusual degree, extent, etc.;...
Definitions
- To a great or unusual degree, extent, etc.;...
Ancestry of “exceedingly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | exceeding | present participle of exceed; prodigious;... |
| 2 | English | -ing | Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,... |
| 3 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |