Where does “surly” come from?
Surly comes from English sir with the Middle English adjectival suffix -ly, derived from Old English -līċ meaning "like," which traces through Proto-Germanic -līkaz to Latin senior meaning "elder."
surly (English): Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly; Threatening,...
Definitions
- Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly; Threatening,...
Ancestry of “surly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sirly | — |
| 2 | English | Sir | Alternative letter-case form of sir; The titular... |
| 3 | English | sire | A lord, master, or other person in authority,... |
| 4 | Middle English | sire | Used preceding the name or title of a knight,... |
| 5 | Old French | sire | nominative singular of sieur; master, sir, lord;... |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | seior | — |
| 7 | Latin | senior | older, elder; rather old; a lord, sir; an abbot |
| 8 | Latin | senex | old, aged, elderly; old person, old man, old... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sénos | old |