Where does “utterly” come from?
Utterly comes from English utter combined with the Old English adverbial suffix -līċ, derived from Proto-Germanic ūt and Proto-Indo-European ud meaning "out," merged with Proto-Indo-European līg- and ḱóm.
utterly (English): completely, entirely, to the fullest extent
Definitions
- completely, entirely, to the fullest extent
Ancestry of “utterly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | utter | Outer; furthest out, most remote; Outward;... |
| 2 | Middle English | outre | — |
| 3 | Old English | ūtera | outer |
| 4 | Old English | ūt | out |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *ūt | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | ūt | out, outward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |