Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “incredibly” come from?

Incredibly comes from Latin incredibilis, combining the prefix in- (not) with credibilis (believable), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- meaning to place or put.

incredibly (English): In an incredible manner; not to be believed; To a...

Definitions

  1. In an incredible manner; not to be believed; To a...

Ancestry of “incredibly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishincredibleToo implausible to be credible; beyond belief;...
2Latinincrēdibilis—
3Latincrēdibilis—
4Latincrēdō—
5Proto-Italickrezdō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱréddʰh₁etito believe, trust
7Proto-Indo-European-dʰh₁etiForms resultative verbs
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- →