Where does “politely” come from?

Politely comes from English polite, derived from Latin politus, the past participle of Latin polio meaning to polish or refine.

politely (English): in a polite manner

Definitions

  1. in a polite manner

Ancestry of “politely”, 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 *-līkEvery word from English -lyEvery word from Old English -līċ