Where does “wailfully” come from?

wailfully (English) comes from English wailful, from English wail, from German weilen, from Middle High German wīlen, from Middle High German mit, from Old High German mit, from Proto-West Germanic midi, from Proto-Germanic midi — in the middle of, near, by, around, with.

wailfully (English): In a wailful manner

Definitions

  1. In a wailful manner

Ancestry of “wailfully”, step by step

wailfully traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English wailful

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwailfulSorrowful; mournful
2EnglishwailTo cry out, as in sorrow or anguish; To weep,...
3GermanweilenTo be, be present somewhere; To linger, spend...
4Middle High Germanwīlenformerly
5Middle High Germanmit
6Old High Germanmitwith
7Proto-West Germanicmidiwith, by, through; along, together; middle, mid
8Proto-Germanicmidiwith, by, through; along, together
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmeth₂with
10Proto-Indo-Europeanin the middle of, near, by, around, with

via English ly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlyAbbreviation of light-year
2VietnameselyAlternative spelling of li
Every word from Proto-Indo-European
wailfully — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer