Where does “regrettably” come from?
Regrettably derives from English regret plus the Old English suffix -līċ, which combines Old French -able and Latin -abilis, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ger-.
regrettably (English): In a manner inspiring or deserving regret
Definitions
- In a manner inspiring or deserving regret
Ancestry of “regrettably”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | regrettable | Able to be regretted, "especially" deserving of... |
| 2 | English | regret | To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead |
| 3 | Middle English | regretten | — |
| 4 | Old French | regreter | to regret; to bewail; to lament |
| 5 | Old French | re- | re- again; once more |
| 6 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 7 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 8 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |