Etymology

really

re·al·ly
R1E1A1L1L1Y4

Today it means: In a way or manner that is real, not unreal. Full definition →

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

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(H)reh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(H)reh₁ís
  3. Proto-Italic*reis
  4. Classical Latinrēs
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Late Latinreālis
  8. Old Frenchree
  9. Middle Englishreal
  10. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  11. Proto-Germanic*līką
  12. Middle Englishreally
  13. English todayreally

From Middle English really, realy, rialliche, equivalent to real + -ly.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.