Where does “unspeakably” come from?
Unspeakably derives from English unspeakable plus the Middle English adverbial suffix -ly, from Old English -līċ meaning "like" or "having the form of," from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, itself from Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.
unspeakably (English): In an unspeakable manner
Ancestry of “unspeakably”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 2 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 3 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 4 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |