Where does “ugly” come from?

Ugly comes from Middle English ugly, from Old Norse uggligr, formed with the Old Norse suffix -ligr (from Proto-Germanic -līkaz), ultimately from Proto-Germanic līką and Proto-Indo-European līg-.

ugly (English): Displeasing to the eye; not aesthetically...

Definitions

  1. Displeasing to the eye; not aesthetically...

Ancestry of “ugly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishugly—
2Old Norseuggligrfeared; doubtful, questionable
3Old Norse-ligrsuffix used to create adjectives, having the...
4Proto-Germanic-līkaz-like, -ly
5Proto-Germaniclīkąbody; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie

Words derived from “ugly”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic līką →Every word from Proto-Germanic -līkaz →