Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “interchangeably” come from?

Interchangeably derives from English interchange plus Old English -līċ, Old French -able from Latin -abilis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots ḱóm meaning "together" and līg- meaning "to lie."

interchangeably (English): With the ability of being interchanged or swapped

Definitions

  1. With the ability of being interchanged or swapped

Ancestry of “interchangeably”, 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 →