Where does “wryly” come from?
Wryly derives from English wry plus the adverbial suffix -ly, which comes from Middle English -ly, Old English -līċ, and Proto-Germanic -līkaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots including werǵ-, wer-, and ḱóm.
wryly (English): In a wry manner
Ancestry of “wryly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | wry | Turned away, contorted; Dryly humorous; sardonic... |
| 2 | Middle English | wrien | to cover |
| 3 | Old English | wrīġian | to go, turn, twist, bend, strive, struggle, press... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wrigōną | to wriggle |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wreyḱ- | to twist; to bend |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |