Where does “girly” come from?
Girly derives from English girl, with the diminutive suffix -y added in Middle English, ultimately tracing through Middle French -ie, Latin -ia and -ivus, and Proto-Indo-European -kos.
girly (English): Characteristic of a stereotypical girl, very...
Definitions
- Characteristic of a stereotypical girl, very...
Ancestry of “girly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 2 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 3 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 4 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |