Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “queerly” come from?

Queerly derives from Middle English -ly and Old English -līċ, both adverbial suffixes descended from Proto-Germanic -līkaz and galīkaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm meaning "like" or "body."

queerly (English): In a queer manner; In a queer way , or in a way...

Definitions

  1. In a queer manner; In a queer way , or in a way...

Ancestry of “queerly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishqueerWeird, odd or different; whimsical; Slightly...
2Middle Low Germanqueeroblique, off-center
3Old Saxonthwerhcontrary, against; bent, crooked
4Proto-Germanic*þwerh—
5Proto-Germanicþwerhazcross, adverse
6Proto-Germanicþerh-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanterkʷ-to turn, spin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- →