Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “racially” come from?

Racially derives from English racial plus the Middle English adverbial suffix -ly, from Old English -līċ meaning "like" or "having the form of," from Proto-Germanic -līkaz.

racially (English): Relating to race

Definitions

  1. Relating to race

Ancestry of “racially”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishracialOf or relating to a race; A skill possessed by...
2EnglishraceA contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc....
3Middle Frenchracerace; breed
4Italianrazzarace, breed; kind, type; family, descent
5Italianrazzoskyrocket; Ellipsis of razzo di segnalazione;...
6Italianraggioray, beam, shaft; spoke; radius
7Latinradiusray; staff, rod; spoke
8English-án—
9Middle English-an—
Every word from Middle English -an →