Where does “speculatively” come from?
Speculatively derives from English speculative with the Middle English adverbial suffix -ly, itself from Old English -līċ (meaning "like" or "having the form of"), from Proto-Germanic -līkaz and galīkaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots līg- and ḱóm.
speculatively (English): In a speculative manner
Ancestry of “speculatively”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | speculative | Characterized by speculation; based on guessing,... |
| 2 | Middle English | speculatyf | — |
| 3 | Old French | speculatif | — |
| 4 | Latin | speculātīvus | — |
| 5 | Latin | speculor | I watch, I observe; I examine, I explore; I spy |
| 6 | Latin | specula | watchtower, lookout; nominative plural of... |
| 7 | Latin | spes | hope; expectation, anticipation, apprehension |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | spēs | hope |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | spéh₁s | prosperity, success |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |