Where does “unevenly” come from?

Unevenly derives from Middle English -ly added to Old English uneven, itself formed from Old English un- and -līċ, ultimately tracing through Proto-Germanic ēbandaz and Proto-Indo-European līg- and ano- meaning "even" and ne meaning "not."

unevenly (English): In an uneven or haphazard manner; In an unequal...

Definitions

  1. In an uneven or haphazard manner; In an unequal...

Ancestry of “unevenly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunevenNot even; Not level or smooth; Not uniform
2EnglishUn-not
3EnglishstillNot moving; calm; Not effervescing; not...
4Old Englishstillanbecome calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,...
5Proto-West Germanicstillijanto make still, quiet
6Proto-West Germanic-janCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
7Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Germanic -janąEvery word from English Un-