Where does “marvelously” come from?
Marvelously derives from Middle English -ly added to Old English -līċ, from Latin mirabilis meaning "wonderful," combined with Latin -osus, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.
marvelously (English): Alternative form of marvellously
Definitions
- Alternative form of marvellously
Ancestry of “marvelously”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | marvelous | Exciting wonder or surprise; astonishing;... |
| 2 | Middle English | merveilous | Astounding, breathtaking, unexpected; resulting... |
| 3 | Old French | merveillus | enormous, giant |
| 4 | Old French | merveille | wonder; marvel |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | miribilia | — |
| 6 | Latin | mīrābilia | — |
| 7 | Latin | mīrābilis | wonderful, marvellous, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, amazing |
| 8 | Latin | mīror | to be astonished at, marvel at, admire, be amazed at, wonder at |
| 9 | Latin | mīrus | wonderful, marvelous, amazing, surprising, miraculous |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | smeiros | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | sméyros | laughing, smiling |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | smey- | to smile; to smear, stroke, wipe, rub; to be... |