Etymology

elderly

eld·er·ly
E1L1D2E1R1L1Y4

Today it means: old; having lived for relatively many years. Full definition →

Proto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg- ← English elder
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The story

  1. Middle Englisheldre
  2. Englishelder
  3. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  4. Proto-Germanic*līką
  5. English todayelderly

From elder + -ly.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.