Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “skillfulness” come from?

skillfulness (English) comes from English skillful, from English -ly, from English grisly, from Middle English grisely, from Old English grisliċ, from Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic *-līk.

skillfulness (English): The state or quality of being adept or skillful

Definitions

  1. The state or quality of being adept or skillful

Ancestry of “skillfulness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishskillfulPossessing skill; skilled
2English-lyUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
3EnglishgrislyHorrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;...
4Middle Englishgrisely—
5Old Englishgrisliċgrisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid
6Old English-līċsuffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning...
7Proto-Germanic*-līk—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →