Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “richly” come from?

Richly derives from Middle English -ly added to Old English rice, from Proto-Germanic rīkiją meaning powerful or mighty, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- and reg- meaning to rule or direct.

richly (English): In a rich manner; full of flavor or expression;...

Definitions

  1. In a rich manner; full of flavor or expression;...

Ancestry of “richly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrichely—
2Old Englishrīċlīċe—
3Old English-līċe—
4Old English-eforming adverbs from adjectives; -ly
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →