Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “readerly” come from?

Readerly derives from English reader with the Middle English suffix -ly, from Old English -līċ meaning "like" or "having the form of," from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, itself containing Proto-Germanic galīkaz and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.

readerly (English): Characteristic of readers

Definitions

  1. Characteristic of readers

Ancestry of “readerly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishreaderA person who reads; A person who reads a...
2Middle Englishreder—
3Old Englishrēdere—
4Proto-West Germanicrādāri—

Words derived from “readerly”

  • unreaderly
Every word from Proto-West Germanic rādāri →