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

readerly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English reader

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

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li

Words derived from “readerly

Every word from Proto-West Germanic rādāri
readerly — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer