Where does “fatherly” come from?

Fatherly derives from Middle English faderlich, Old English fæderlīċ, and Proto-Germanic fadurlīkaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr meaning "father."

fatherly (English): Characteristic of what is considered the ideal...

Definitions

  1. Characteristic of what is considered the ideal...

Ancestry of “fatherly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfaderlyfatherly pertaining to a father
2Old Englishfæderlīċfatherly, paternal
3Proto-Germanicfadurlīkazfatherly; fatherlike
4Proto-Germanicfadērfather
5Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd

Words derived from “fatherly”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr →Every word from Proto-Germanic fadēr →