Where does “ominously” come from?
Ominously derives from English ominous, from Latin ominosus, combining Latin -osus with Latin -men, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots h₃ésth₁, līg-, and ḱóm.
ominously (English): in an ominous manner; with sinister foreboding
Definitions
- in an ominous manner; with sinister foreboding
Ancestry of “ominously”, 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 | — |