Etymology

girly

G2I1R1L1Y4

Today it means: Characteristic of a stereotypical girl, very effeminate, gentle; unmasculine. Full definition →

English girl ← Middle English girle ← Old English *gyrele?
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girly · adjective1

  1. Proto-West Germanic*gaurā
  2. Proto-West Germanic*gurilā
  3. Old English*gyrele?
  4. Middle Englishgirle
  5. Englishgirl
  6. English todaygirly

From girl + -y (adjectival sufix).

girly · noun2

  1. Proto-West Germanic*gaurā
  2. Proto-West Germanic*gurilā
  3. Old English*gyrele?
  4. Middle Englishgirle
  5. Englishgirl
  6. English todaygirly

From girl + -y (diminutive suffix).

girly · adverb3

From girl + -ly (adverbial suffix), after the adjective.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.