English
princely
Princely comes from Middle English princely, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂p-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500princely1
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588princely1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English princely
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “And when the princely Perſean Diadem, Shall ouerweigh his…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂p-Wiktionary, English princelyroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500princelyWiktionary, English princely
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588princelyWiktionary, English princely. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “And when the princely Perſean Diadem, Shall ouerweigh his…”
Formed from prince + -ly
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p-
receiver, participant, unacceptable, receipt, receptor, incapable, inception, interception, perceptive, recuperate, recuperation, occupier, misbehave, incipient, 11 more
Today it means
adj Relating to a prince.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “princely”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p- / princely