Where does “formally” come from?
Formally derives from Middle English -ly added to Old English -līċ, which comes from Latin formalis, formed from Latin -alis suffixed to Ancient Greek μορφή meaning "shape."
formally (English): In a formal manner; In accordance with official...
Definitions
- In a formal manner; In accordance with official...
Ancestry of “formally”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | formal | Being in accord with established forms; Official;... |
| 2 | Middle English | formel | — |
| 3 | Old French | formel | — |
| 4 | Latin | formālis | — |
| 5 | French | -ïsme | -ism, variant of -isme following vowels |
| 6 | Latin | -isma | Alternative form of -ismus; -ism |
| 7 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |