English
eternally
Eternally comes from Latin aeternālis ‘eternal, everlasting, temporally infinite’, from Proto-Italic *aiwom ‘period, age’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- ‘long time, lifetime’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eyu-‘long time, lifetime’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*aiwom‘period, age’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaevum‘eternity, agelessness, timelessness’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaeternus‘eternal, endless’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaeternālis‘eternal, everlasting, temporally infinite’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600eternal
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘Eternal, permanent’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500eternally‘in an eternal, endless, or permanent manner’
- Englishearliest quotation 1908same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eyu-‘long time, lifetime’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*aiwom‘period, age’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaevum‘eternity, agelessness, timelessness’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaeternus‘eternal, endless’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaeternālis‘eternal, everlasting, temporally infinite’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600eternal
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘Eternal, permanent’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500eternally‘in an eternal, endless, or permanent manner’
- Englishearliest quotation 1908same form
Earliest quotation: 1908, W. B. M. Ferguson: “The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast:…”
Formed from eternal + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- ‘long time, lifetime’
…
Latin aeternus
Late Latin aeternālis ‘eternal, everlasting, temporally infinite’
Old French eternal
Middle English eternal ‘Eternal, permanent’
English eternal
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- ‘long time, lifetime’
through Proto-Italic *aiwom ‘period, age’
through Latin aevum ‘eternity, agelessness, timelessness’
Today it means
adv For eternity; forever.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- / eternally