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

skillfulness traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English skillful

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

via English Ness

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNessAn Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa
2Middle Englishnesse
3Old Englishnæsnot, not at all; not; first/third-person singular...
4Proto-Germanicnasjąfoothill; headland; cape
5Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂snose

via Middle English skylfulnesse

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishskylfulnesse
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līkEvery word from English -lyEvery word from Old English -līċ