Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “inartfully” come from?

inartfully (English) comes from English inartful, from English artful, from English Art, from Middle English art, from Old French art, from Latin artem, from Latin ars, from Proto-Italic artis — to fit, to fix, to put together.

inartfully (English): In an inartful manner

Definitions

  1. In an inartful manner

Ancestry of “inartfully”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishinartfulAwkwardly expressed but not necessarily untrue;...
2EnglishartfulCunning; tending toward indirect dealings;...
3EnglishArt—
4Middle EnglishartSecond-person singular present indicative form of...
5Old Frenchartart
6Latinartemaccusative singular of ars; first-person singular...
7Latinarsart; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power
8Proto-Italicartis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂értisfitting
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →