Where does “ill-behaved” come from?
ill-behaved (English) comes from English ill, from Middle English ille, from Old Norse íllr, from Proto-Germanic ilhilaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁elḱ-.
ill-behaved (English): badly behaved; exhibiting bad behaviour
Definitions
- badly behaved; exhibiting bad behaviour
Ancestry of “ill-behaved”, step by step
ill-behaved traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ill
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ill | Evil; wicked (of people) |
| 2 | Middle English | ille | evil; wicked |
| 3 | Old Norse | íllr | evil, bad |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | ilhilaz | bad, evil |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁elḱ- | — |
via English behaved
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | behaved | simple past tense and past participle of behave;... |