Where does “legitimately” come from?
Legitimately derives from English legitimate plus the Middle English adverb suffix -ly, from Old English -līċ, ultimately from Latin legitimus meaning lawful, from lex meaning law.
legitimately (English): In a legitimate manner, properly
Definitions
- In a legitimate manner, properly
Ancestry of “legitimately”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | legitimate | In accordance with the law or established legal... |
| 2 | Middle English | legitimat | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | legitimatus | legitimized |
| 4 | Latin | lēgitimō | to confirm by law |
| 5 | Latin | lēgitimus | lawful, legal, legitimate |
| 6 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |