Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “purportedly” come from?

Purportedly derives from English purport, which combines Old English -līċ with Proto-Germanic -līkaz, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm, meaning "like" or "similar."

purportedly (English): supposedly, putatively, or reputedly

Definitions

  1. supposedly, putatively, or reputedly

Ancestry of “purportedly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpurportedSupposed, or assumed to be; Normally assumed to...
2EnglishpurportTo convey, imply, or profess; To intend; import,...
3Middle Englishpurporten—
4Anglo-NormanpurporterAlternative form of porporter
5Old Frenchporterto carry; to carry a child
6Old French-mentUsed to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent...
7Latin-mentuminstrument, medium, or result of; e.g....
8Latin-mentanominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural...
9Proto-Indo-European-mn̥Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ →