Where does “sadly” come from?

Sadly derives from English sad plus the Middle English adverbial suffix -ly, itself from Old English -līċ meaning "like," ultimately tracing through Proto-Germanic sēdiz and Proto-Indo-European roots seh₂-, līg-, and ḱóm.

sadly (English): In a sad manner; sorrowfully; Unfortunately, sad...

Definitions

  1. In a sad manner; sorrowfully; Unfortunately, sad...

Ancestry of “sadly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsadsated, weary having had enough
2Old Englishsædfull, sated; weary; seed
3Proto-West Germanic*sād—
4Proto-Germanicsēdizseed
5Proto-Indo-Europeanseh₁-to impress, insert; to sow, to plant; long,...

Words derived from “sadly”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European seh₁- →