Where does “womanly” come from?
Womanly comes from Middle English womanly, composed of woman and the Middle English suffix -liche, from Old English -līċ, derived from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European līg-.
womanly (English): Considered typical of, stereotypical of, or...
Definitions
- Considered typical of, stereotypical of, or...
Ancestry of “womanly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | womanly | Alternative form of wommanly |
| 2 | Middle English | wommanly | Resembling or characteristic of a woman;... |
| 3 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 4 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 5 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |