Where does “shyly” come from?

Shyly comes from Middle English -ly and Old English -līċ, combining Proto-Germanic skeuhaz with galīkaz, both ultimately descended from Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.

shyly (English): In a shy manner

Definitions

  1. In a shy manner

Ancestry of “shyly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-lyUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
2EnglishgrislyHorrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;...
3Middle Englishgrisely
4Old Englishgrisliċgrisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid
5Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
6Proto-Germanic*-līk
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līkEvery word from English -lyEvery word from Old English -līċ