Where does “ternately” come from?

ternately (English) comes from English ternate, from Latin ternus, from Latin ter, from Latin terr, from Old Latin tris, from Proto-Italic trēs, from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes.

ternately (English): In a ternate manner

Definitions

  1. In a ternate manner

Ancestry of “ternately”, step by step

ternately traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ternate

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishternateHaving three divisions
2Latinternustriple, threefold, trinary; three each
3Latinterthrice
4Latinterr—
5Old Latintris—
6Proto-Italictrēsthree
7Proto-Indo-European*tréyes—

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes →