Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “timely” come from?

Timely comes from Old English tīmlīc, a compound of tīm (time) and the adjectival suffix -līc (like, characteristic of).

timely (English): Done at the proper time or within the proper time...

Definitions

  1. Done at the proper time or within the proper time...

Ancestry of “timely”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishtimelyAlternative form of tymely
2Old Englishtīmlīc—

Words derived from “timely”

  • untimely
  • timeliness
  • untimeliness
  • timelily
Every word from Old English tīmlīc →