Where does “idly” come from?
Idly comes from Middle English ydelly, from Old English īdellīċe, an adverbial form meaning in a vain or useless manner.
idly (English): Without specific purpose, intent or effort; In an...
Definitions
- Without specific purpose, intent or effort; In an...
Ancestry of “idly”, step by step
idly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English idely
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | idely | — |
| 2 | Old English | īdellīċe | without cause |
| 3 | Old English | -līċe | ly (adverbial suffix) |
| 4 | Old English | -e | forming adverbs from adjectives; -ly |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |