Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “kingly” come from?

Kingly comes from Middle English kyngly, from Old English cyninglīċ, a compound of cyning, meaning king, and -līċ, a suffix forming adjectives.

kingly (English): Of or belonging to a king or kings; exercised by...

Definitions

  1. Of or belonging to a king or kings; exercised by...

Ancestry of “kingly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishkyngly—
2Old Englishcyninglīċkingly, royal

Words derived from “kingly”

  • unkingly
  • kingliness
  • kinglihood
Every word from Old English cyninglīċ →