Where does “untenably” come from?

untenably (English) comes from English untenable, from English Un-, from English still, from Old English stillan, from Proto-West Germanic stillijan, from Proto-West Germanic -jan, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

untenably (English): In an untenable way

Definitions

  1. In an untenable way

Ancestry of “untenably”, step by step

untenably traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English untenable

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishuntenableNot able to be held, as of an opinion or...
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

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Germanic -janąEvery word from English Un-