Etymograph

English

entirely

Entirely comes from Middle English entyerly.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500entyerly1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1723entirely1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English entirely
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1723, John Smith, London: […] John and Barham Clark: “[O]bſerving [...] abundance of Matter floating in the Urine…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500entyerlyWiktionary, English entirely
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1723entirelyWiktionary, English entirely. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1723, John Smith, London: […] John and Barham Clark: “[O]bſerving [...] abundance of Matter floating in the Urine…”

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Today it means

adv To the full or entire extent.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “entirely”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English entyerly / entirely