Where does “nicely” come from?
nicely (English) comes from Middle English nycely, from Middle English nyce, from Old French nice, from Latin nescius, from Latin nesciō, from Latin sciō, from Proto-Indo-European sḱēy-, from Proto-Germanic skaidą — to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,...
nicely (English): Fastidiously; carefully; Precisely; with fine...
Definitions
- Fastidiously; carefully; Precisely; with fine...
Ancestry of “nicely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nycely | idiotically, ridiculously in a way indicating idiocy |
| 2 | Middle English | nyce | foolish, simple, ignorant, naive; scared, weak,... |
| 3 | Old French | nice | simple, foolish |
| 4 | Latin | nescius | unaware, ignorant; not knowing how, unable |
| 5 | Latin | nesciō | to not know, to be ignorant, to not understand |
| 6 | Latin | sciō | to be able to, to know, understand, to have practical knowledge |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |