Where does “unknightliness” come from?
unknightliness (English) comes from English unknightly, from English knightly, from Middle English knyghtly, from Middle English -ly, from Old English -līċ, from Proto-Germanic *-līk.
unknightliness (English): The quality of being unknightly
Definitions
- The quality of being unknightly
Ancestry of “unknightliness”, step by step
unknightliness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English unknightly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unknightly | Not knightly; Of behaviour, not befitting a... |
| 2 | English | knightly | Of or pertaining to a knight or knights;... |
| 3 | Middle English | knyghtly | brave, bold, martial |
| 4 | Middle English | -ly | Alternative form of -liche |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |