English
inly
Inly comes from Middle English inly ‘heartily’, from Old English inlīc ‘inner, inward’, and ultimately from in.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150in1
- Old Englishc. 450–1150inlīc2‘inner, inward’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inly2‘heartily’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1591inly2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Old English inlic
- 2 Wiktionary, English inly
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona: “Didst thou but know the inly touch of love…”.
Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150inWiktionary, Old English inlic
- Old Englishc. 450–1150inlīcWiktionary, English inly‘inner, inward’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500inlyWiktionary, English inly‘heartily’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1591inlyWiktionary, English inly. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona: “Didst thou but know the inly touch of love…”
Formed from in + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’
Proto-Germanic *in
Proto-West Germanic *in
Old English in
Middle English in ‘inside’
English in
Linked words
through Old English in
Today it means
adj Inward; interior; secret.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “inly”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English inlic. 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 / Old English in / inly