Where does “littly” come from?
littly (English) comes from English little, from Middle English litel, from Old English lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic lūtil, from Proto-Germanic lūtilaz, from Proto-Germanic burgz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥ǵʰ-.
littly (English): In a little or minor way
Ancestry of “littly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | little | Small in size; Insignificant, trivial; Very young |
| 2 | Middle English | litel | little |
| 3 | Old English | lȳtel | little |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lūtil | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |