Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mysteriously” come from?

Mysteriously derives from Middle French mystérieux, combined with Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz meaning "body" or "form," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots including ḱóm.

mysteriously (English): In a mysterious manner

Definitions

  1. In a mysterious manner

Ancestry of “mysteriously”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmysteriousOf unknown origin; Having unknown qualities;...
2Latinmystērium—
3Ancient Greekμυστήριονrevealed secret; mystery, secret; object used in...
4Ancient Greekμύστηςone who has been initiated, initiate
5Ancient GreekμυέωI initiate
6Ancient Greek-έωUsed to form verbs from nouns, adjectives and...
7Proto-Indo-European-éyetiForms causative imperfective verbs from roots;...
8Proto-Indo-European-yetiCreates transitive imperfective verbs from roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yeti →