Where does “manly” come from?

Manly comes from Old English manlīċ, from Proto-Germanic mannlīkaz, literally meaning "man-like" or "having the qualities of a man."

manly (English): Having the characteristics of a man; Having...

Definitions

  1. Having the characteristics of a man; Having...

Ancestry of “manly”, step by step

manly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Manley

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishManleyA placename
2Old Englishlēahmeadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,...
3Proto-West Germaniclauhclearing; meadow
4Proto-Germaniclauhazclearing; meadow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlówkosclearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlewḱ-lynx
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlewk-bright; to shine; to see

via Middle English manli,manlich,manly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmanli,manlich,manly—
2Old Englishmanlīċ—
3Proto-Germanicmannlīkazmanly

Words derived from “manly”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewk- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European lówkos →