Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly; Threatening,...

Ancestry of “surly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishsirly—
2EnglishSirAlternative letter-case form of sir; The titular...
3EnglishsireA lord, master, or other person in authority,...
4Middle EnglishsireUsed preceding the name or title of a knight,...
5Old Frenchsirenominative singular of sieur; master, sir, lord;...
6Vulgar Latinseior—
7Latinseniorolder, elder; rather old; a lord, sir; an abbot
8Latinsenexold, aged, elderly; old person, old man, old...
9Proto-Indo-Europeansénosold

Words derived from “surly”

  • surlily
  • surliness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sénos →