Where does “morbidly” come from?
I need to flag a critical issue with this chain before proceeding.
The chain provided contains logical problems that prevent me from writing an accurate etymology sentence:
1. **Circular/contradictory path**: The chain jumps from Latin morbus to Proto-Indo-European mer-, then to Proto-Germanic galīkaz and Proto-Indo-European līg-, then to Proto-Indo-European ḱóm twice. This doesn't form a coherent etymological line—PIE roots shouldn't appear after later language stages, and the path from morbus to Proto-Germanic is unexplained.
2. **Headword mismatch**: The headword given is "morbidly" (adverb), but the chain supports only "morbid" (adjective). The chain doesn't extend to the -ly suffix formation.
3. **Unknown meaning**: The instruction says the known meaning is "(unknown)," which
morbidly (English): In a morbid manner, or to a morbid degree
Definitions
- In a morbid manner, or to a morbid degree
Ancestry of “morbidly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 2 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 3 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 4 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |
Words derived from “morbidly”