English
duly
Duly comes from Middle English duely ‘rightly, properly’, and goes back to dewe.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dewe
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500duely‘rightly, properly’
- Englishearliest quotation 1907duly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dewe
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500duely‘rightly, properly’
- Englishearliest quotation 1907duly
Earliest quotation: 1907, Harold Bindloss, Toronto: “The inquest on keeper Davidson was duly held, and…”
Formed from due + -ly
Latin habeō ‘to have’
Latin dēbeō ‘to owe’
Old French devoir ‘to owe’
Old French deü
Middle English dewe ‘due’
English due
Linked words
through Middle English dewe
Today it means
adv In a due, fit, or becoming manner; as it ought to be; suitably; properly.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English dewe / duly