Where does “thiefly” come from?
thiefly (English) comes from Middle English thefly, from Middle English þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic þeub, from Proto-Germanic þeubaz, from Proto-Indo-European tewpó-.
thiefly (English): Like a thief; thievish; Like a thief; thievishly
Definitions
- Like a thief; thievish; Like a thief; thievishly
Ancestry of “thiefly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | thefly | In a way resembling a thief; thievishly |
| 2 | Middle English | þef | Alternative form of thef |
| 3 | Old English | þēof | thief |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þeub | thief |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þeubaz | thief |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tewpó- | — |