Where does “fitfully” come from?
Fitfully derives from English fitful, formed from English fit combined with Middle English -ful, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning to fill.
fitfully (English): In a fitful manner; irregularly or unsteadily
Definitions
- In a fitful manner; irregularly or unsteadily
Ancestry of “fitfully”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fitful | Irregular; unsteady; characterized by fits |
| 2 | English | -ful | Used to form adjectives from nouns. Full of,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ful | Appended to nouns to form adjectives denoting... |
| 4 | Old English | -ful | full of; -ful |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -fullaz | -ful |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |