Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sirly” come from?

sirly (English) comes from English Sir, from English sire, from Middle English sire, from Old French sire, from Vulgar Latin seior, from Latin senior, from Latin senex, from Proto-Indo-European sénos — old.

Ancestry of “sirly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSirAlternative letter-case form of sir; The titular...
2EnglishsireA lord, master, or other person in authority,...
3Middle EnglishsireUsed preceding the name or title of a knight,...
4Old Frenchsirenominative singular of sieur; master, sir, lord;...
5Vulgar Latinseior—
6Latinseniorolder, elder; rather old; a lord, sir; an abbot
7Latinsenexold, aged, elderly; old person, old man, old...
8Proto-Indo-Europeansénosold

Words derived from “sirly”

  • surly
  • surlily
  • surliness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sénos →