Where does “gradually” come from?
Gradually comes from English gradual plus the Middle English adverbial suffix -ly, from Latin gradus meaning step, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root gʰredʰ-.
gradually (English): In a gradual manner; making slow progress;...
Definitions
- In a gradual manner; making slow progress;...
Ancestry of “gradually”, 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 | — |