Where does “guilelessly” come from?
guilelessly (English) comes from English guileless, from English guile, from Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile, from Old English wīl, from Proto-Germanic wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European wéy- — I.
guilelessly (English): In a guileless manner
Ancestry of “guilelessly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | guileless | Free from guile; honest but naive |
| 2 | English | guile | Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of... |
| 3 | Middle English | gile | gill |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | gile | — |
| 5 | Old French | guile | trickery; deception |
| 6 | Old English | wīl | wile, trick |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wīlą | craft, deceit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wéy- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |