Where does “indirectly” come from?
Indirectly comes from Middle French indirect, from Latin indirectus, composed of in- (not) and directus (straight), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm (together) and līg- (to tie).
indirectly (English): In an indirect manner
Ancestry of “indirectly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 2 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 3 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 4 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |