Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shapely” come from?

Shapely derives from Middle English schaply, from Old English ġesċeaplīċ, meaning arranged or fitted.

shapely (English): Having a pleasing shape, pleasant to look at

Definitions

  1. Having a pleasing shape, pleasant to look at

Ancestry of “shapely”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishschaply—
2Middle English-lyAlternative form of -liche
3Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
4Proto-Germanic*-līk—

Words derived from “shapely”

  • shapeliness
  • unshapely
  • unshapeliness
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →