Where does “neighborly” come from?
Neighborly comes from Middle English -ly (an adverbial suffix), Old English -līċ (meaning "like" or "resembling"), Proto-Germanic -līkaz, and Proto-Indo-European ḱóm.
neighborly (English): US standard spelling of neighbourly
Definitions
- US standard spelling of neighbourly
Ancestry of “neighborly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | neighbor | US standard spelling of neighbour |
| 2 | Middle English | neyghebour | A neighbour; an adjacent or nearby individual or thing |
| 3 | Old English | nēahġebūr | neighbour |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | nāhwagabūrō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwagabūrô | neighbour |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nēhwaz | near, close |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂nḗḱwos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂neḱ- | to reach, to attain |