Etymology

worldly

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Today it means: Concerned with human or earthly matters, physical as opposed to spiritual. Full definition →

Middle English worldly ← Old English woruldlīċ ← Proto-Germanic *weraldilīkaz
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worldly · adjective1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*weraldilīkaz
  2. Old English · inherited fromworuldlīċ
  3. Middle English · inherited fromworldly
  4. English todayworldly

From Middle English worldly, worldlich, wordly (adjective), from Old English woruldlīċ, worldlīċ, weoroldlīċ (“worldly; earthly; temporal; mundane; secular”), from Proto-Germanic *weraldilīkaz, equivalent to world + -ly. Cognate with Dutch wereldlijk (“worldly; secular”), German Low German weltlik (“worldly”), German weltlich (“worldly”), Danish verdslig (“worldly”), Swedish världslig (“worldly”), Icelandic veraldlegur (“worldly; secular”).

worldly · adverb2

  1. Old English · inherited fromworoldlīċe
  2. Middle English · inherited fromworldly
  3. English todayworldly

From Middle English worldly, worldliche, wordly (adverb), from Old English woroldlīċe, weoroldlīċe; equivalent to world + -ly (adverbial suffix).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.