Where does “unfatherly” come from?
unfatherly (English) comes from English fatherly, from Middle English faderly, from Old English fæderlīċ, from Proto-Germanic fadurlīkaz, from Proto-Germanic fadēr, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.
unfatherly (English): Not fatherly; unpaternal
Ancestry of “unfatherly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fatherly | Characteristic of what is considered the ideal... |
| 2 | Middle English | faderly | — |
| 3 | Old English | fæderlīċ | fatherly, paternal |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fadurlīkaz | fatherly; fatherlike |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fadēr | father |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₂tḗr | father |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |
Words derived from “unfatherly”