Where does “miserly” come from?

Miserly derives from English miser, from Latin miser meaning wretched, tracing through Old English -līċ and Proto-Germanic galīkaz back to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to approach or come together.

miserly (English): Like a miser; very covetous; cautious with money

Definitions

  1. Like a miser; very covetous; cautious with money

Ancestry of “miserly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMisera surname
2Middle Englishmisser—
3Late Latinmiser—

Words derived from “miserly”

Every word from Late Latin miser →Every word from Middle English misser →Every word from English Miser →