Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thornily” come from?

thornily (English) comes from English thorny, from Middle English þorny, from Old English þorniġ, from Proto-West Germanic þornag, from Proto-West Germanic þorn, from Proto-Germanic þurnuz, from Proto-Indo-European tr̥nós, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter- — strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to...

thornily (English): In a thorny manner

Definitions

  1. In a thorny manner

Ancestry of “thornily”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishthornyhaving thorns or spines; troublesome or...
2Middle EnglishþornyAlternative form of thorny
3Old Englishþorniġ—
4Proto-West Germanicþornagfull of thorns, thorny
5Proto-West Germanicþorn—
6Proto-Germanicþurnuzthorn, briar
7Proto-Indo-Europeantr̥nóssharp, stiff
8Proto-Indo-European(s)ter-strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter- →