English
maidenly
Maidenly comes from Middle English maidenly.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maidenly
- Englishearliest quotation 1868-69same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500maidenly
- Englishearliest quotation 1868-69same form
Earliest quotation: 1868-69, Louisa May Alcott: “I’ll try, but it was a very ungentlemanly thing…”
Formed from maiden + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *mogʰus ‘boy’
…
Proto-West Germanic *magaþ
Old English mæġeþ ‘girl’
Old English mæġden ‘girl’
Middle English mayden
English maiden
Every English word from Middle English maidenly
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to a maiden.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English maidenly / maidenly