Where does “trustworthy” come from?
Trustworthy combines English trust with English worthy, which derives from Middle English worthy and the suffix Middle English -y, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European dreu- meaning "to hold firm."
trustworthy (English): Deserving of trust, reliable
Definitions
- Deserving of trust, reliable
Ancestry of “trustworthy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -worthy | Of sufficient worth for; deserving of; Suitable... |
| 2 | English | Worthy | OS grid ref SS8548 |
| 3 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 4 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 5 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 6 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 7 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |