Where does “offhandedly” come from?
offhandedly (English) comes from English offhanded, from English offhand, from Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende, from Proto-Germanic abahandijaz, from Proto-Germanic aba-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epó — off, away.
offhandedly (English): in an offhand manner
Ancestry of “offhandedly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | offhanded | in a casual or curt style, without preparation or... |
| 2 | English | offhand | Without planning or thinking ahead; Careless;... |
| 3 | Middle English | *ofhande, *ofhende | — |
| 4 | Old English | ofhende | absent, lost |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | abahandijaz | out of one's hand, lost to one |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | aba- | away, away from |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂epó | off, away |