Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “incorrectly” come from?

Incorrectly comes from English incorrect, derived from Middle French incorrect, built on Old English -līċ (meaning "like" or "having the form of"), from Proto-Germanic -līkaz and galīkaz, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.

incorrectly (English): In an incorrect manner

Definitions

  1. In an incorrect manner

Ancestry of “incorrectly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-lyUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
2EnglishgrislyHorrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;...
3Middle Englishgrisely—
4Old Englishgrisliċgrisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid
5Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
6Proto-Germanic*-līk—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →