Where does “sullenly” come from?
Sullenly derives from English sullen plus the adverbial suffix -ly, from Middle English -ly and Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, ultimately from Latin solus meaning alone.
sullenly (English): In a sullen manner
Definitions
- In a sullen manner
Ancestry of “sullenly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sullen | Having a brooding ill temper; sulky; Gloomy;... |
| 2 | Middle English | soleyn | alone, solitary of one person; in solitude |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | soleyn | alone; solitary; alone; sole; only |
| 4 | Old French | sole | oblique/nominative feminine singular of sol |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | sola | nominative plural of solum; accusative plural of... |
| 6 | Latin | solea | sandal; sole of a shoe |
| 7 | Latin | sōlum | bottom, ground, base, foundation, bed |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | swol- | sole; sole of the foot |