Where does “knightly” come from?

knightly (Middle English) comes from Old English cnihtlīċ, from Old English līċ, from Proto-West Germanic līk, from Proto-Germanic līką, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.

Ancestry of “knightly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcnihtlīċboyish
2Old Englishlīċbody
3Proto-West Germaniclīkbody
4Proto-Germaniclīkąbody; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic līką →Every word from Proto-West Germanic līk →