Etymograph

English

fairly

Fairly comes from Middle English fayrly.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fayrly1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1653fairly1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English fairly
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1653, John Gauden, Hieraspistes: “That Pen, which now writes blottingly, might be well…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fayrlyWiktionary, English fairly
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1653fairlyWiktionary, English fairly. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1653, John Gauden, Hieraspistes: “That Pen, which now writes blottingly, might be well…”

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Today it means

adv In a fair manner; fair; not biased or skewed or favouring a certain party

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “fairly”. 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 fayrly / fairly