Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “painstakingly” come from?

Painstakingly derives from English painstaking, formed from English taking and Old English -līċ, which traces through Proto-Germanic -līkaz and galīkaz to Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.

painstakingly (English): In a painstaking manner; very slowly and...

Definitions

  1. In a painstaking manner; very slowly and...

Ancestry of “painstakingly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-lyUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
2EnglishgrislyHorrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;...
3Middle Englishgrisely—
4Old Englishgrisliċgrisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid
5Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
6Proto-Germanic*-līk—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →