Where does “perilously” come from?
Perilously comes from Middle English perilously, formed with the Middle English adverbial suffix -ly from Old English -līċ, ultimately deriving from Latin periculosus, meaning dangerous or hazardous, built from the root per- and the Latin suffix -osus.
perilously (English): In a perilous manner
Ancestry of “perilously”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | perilous | Dangerous, full of peril |
| 2 | Middle English | perilous | Full of danger or peril; dangerous, harmful,... |
| 3 | Old French | perilleus | perilous; very dangerous |
| 4 | Latin | periculosus | dangerous, hazardous, perilous |
| 5 | Latin | -ōsus | — |
| 6 | Old Latin | -ōssus | — |