English
headly
Headly comes from Old English hēafodlīċ ‘at the top, principal, capital, deadly’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hēafodlīċ‘at the top, principal, capital, deadly’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hedly
- Englishearliest quotation 1623headly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hēafodlīċ‘at the top, principal, capital, deadly’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hedly
- Englishearliest quotation 1623headly
Earliest quotation: 1623, Shakespeare: “O'er blows the filthy and contagious clouds / Of…”
Formed from head + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
…
Proto-Germanic *haubudą ‘head’
Proto-West Germanic *haubud
Old English hēafod ‘head’
Middle English heed ‘head’
English head
Every English word from Old English hēafodlīċ
Today it means
adj Chief; principal; capital; (of sins) deadly.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English hēafodlīċ / headly