English
dubiously
Dubiously comes from Latin dubius ‘Vacillating in mind, wavering, uncertain,…’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdubius‘Vacillating in mind, wavering, uncertain, doubting, doubtful, dubious, irresolute’
- English1500–presentdubious
- Englishearliest quotation 1993dubiously
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdubius‘Vacillating in mind, wavering, uncertain, doubting, doubtful, dubious, irresolute’
- English1500–presentdubious
- Englishearliest quotation 1993dubiously
Earliest quotation: 1993, William J. Leonard, The Letter Carrier: “They had perpetuated a dubiously holy union of Church…”
A compound of dubious + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- ‘to grab, take’
Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ ‘two’
Proto-Italic *duō ‘two’
Latin duo ‘two’
Latin dubius ‘Vacillating in mind, wavering, uncertain,…’
English dubious
Linked words
through Latin dubius ‘Vacillating in mind, wavering, uncertain,…’
Today it means
adv In a dubious manner.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin dubius / dubiously