Where does “iffily” come from?

iffily (English) comes from English iffy, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

iffily (English): In an iffy manner

Definitions

  1. In an iffy manner

Ancestry of “iffily”, step by step

iffily traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English iffy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishiffyOf dubious authenticity, legitimacy or legality;...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ