Where does “threateningly” come from?
Threateningly derives from English threaten plus the English suffix -ing, from Middle English -ing and Old English -ing, ultimately traceable to Proto-Indo-European roots ḱóm and līg-.
threateningly (English): In a threatening manner
Ancestry of “threateningly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | threatening | present participle of threaten; Presenting a... |
| 2 | English | -ing | Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,... |
| 3 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | — |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |