Where does “unwittingly” come from?
Unwittingly comes from Middle English -ly added to Old English unwītende, from Proto-Germanic unwitandz meaning "not knowing," combined with galīkaz "like" from Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.
unwittingly (English): In an unwitting manner; inadvertently,...
Definitions
- In an unwitting manner; inadvertently,...
Ancestry of “unwittingly”, 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 | — |