Where does “illegitimately” come from?
Illegitimately derives from English illegitimate plus the adverbial suffix -ly, from Middle English -ly, from Old English -līċ meaning "like" or "of the nature of," from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, itself from Proto-Germanic galīkaz and ultimately Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.
illegitimately (English): In an illegitimate manner
Definitions
- In an illegitimate manner
Ancestry of “illegitimately”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | illegitimate | Not conforming to known principles, or... |
| 2 | Latin | illegitimus | unlawful, illegal, illegitimate; non-legal;... |
| 3 | Latin | lēgitimus | lawful, legal, legitimate |
| 4 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |