Where does “surely” come from?
Surely comes from Middle English surely, formed from Middle English -ly suffix added to Middle French sur, which derives from Latin securus meaning free from care or anxiety.
surely (English): Without fail; Certainly, undoubtedly; With...
Definitions
- Without fail; Certainly, undoubtedly; With...
Ancestry of “surely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | surely | safely; totally, bindingly, without doubt; For... |
| 2 | Middle English | sure | safe, protected; fortified, well-defended,... |
| 3 | Middle French | sur | — |
| 4 | Old French | seür | Alternative form of seur; sure |
| 5 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 6 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upéri | alternative reconstruction of *upér |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |