English
heavily
Heavily comes from Old English hefiġlīċe ‘heavily’, from hefiġ ‘heavy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘take, seize’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-‘take’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*habīgaz‘heavy’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hefiġ‘heavy’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150hefiġlīċe‘heavily’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hevely
- Englishearliest quotation 1921heavily
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-‘take’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*habīgaz‘heavy’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hefiġ‘heavy’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150hefiġlīċe‘heavily’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hevely
- Englishearliest quotation 1921heavily
Earliest quotation: 1921, Ben Travers, Garden City: “The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs.…”
Formed from heavy + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘to take’
Proto-Germanic *habīgaz ‘heavy’
Proto-West Germanic *habīg ‘heavy’
Old English hefiġ ‘heavy’
Middle English hevy ‘having great weight’
English heavy
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘take, seize’
had, case, except, capital, head, cash, captain, catch, accept, receive, capacity, chapter, escape, capable, achieve, cable, chase, capture, behavior, cape, recipe, reception, occupation, perception, cattle, cabin, chapel, capitol, chef, recipient, haven, capita, hawk, behave, anticipation, anticipate, caption, captive, capsule, susceptible, 176 more
through Old English hefiġ ‘heavy’
Today it means
adv With a great weight.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / heavily