Where does “testily” come from?
Testily derives from English testy plus the adverbial suffix -ly, from Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, ultimately from Latin testum and Proto-Indo-European līg-.
testily (English): In a testy way; in the manner of someone who is...
Definitions
- In a testy way; in the manner of someone who is...
Ancestry of “testily”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | testy | Easily annoyed, irritable; Marked by impatience... |
| 2 | Middle English | testif | testy; headstrong; obstinate |
| 3 | Old French | testu | — |
| 4 | Old French | -u | suffixed used to form adjectives from nouns |
| 5 | Latin | -utus | — |
| 6 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |