Where does “imbecilely” come from?
imbecilely (English) comes from English imbecile, from Middle French imbécile, from Latin imbēcillus, from Latin Bacillus, from Latin -illus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
imbecilely (English): In an imbecile manner
Ancestry of “imbecilely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | imbecile | A person with limited mental capacity who can... |
| 2 | Middle French | imbécile | — |
| 3 | Latin | imbēcillus | — |
| 4 | Latin | Bacillus | — |
| 5 | Latin | -illus | Used to form adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |