Where does “sincerely” come from?
Sincerely comes from Middle French sincere, from Latin sincerus meaning pure or genuine, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning together and grow.
sincerely (English): In a sincere or earnest manner; honestly; A...
Definitions
- In a sincere or earnest manner; honestly; A...
Ancestry of “sincerely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sincere | Genuine; meaning what one says or does;... |
| 2 | Middle French | sincere | sincere (genuinely meaning what one says or does) |
| 3 | Latin | sincērus | clean, pure, sound |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | senkairos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |