Etymograph

English

proudly

Proudly comes from Old English prūtlīċe ‘proudly, magnificently, haughtily’, and goes back to prūd.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150prūd1‘proud’
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150prūtlīċe2‘proudly, magnificently, haughtily’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500proutly2
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1906proudly2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old English prutlice
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English proudly
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett: “And with domes and pinnacles the dreams arose and…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150prūdWiktionary, Old English prutlice‘proud’
  2. Old Englishc. 450–1150prūtlīċeWiktionary, English proudly‘proudly, magnificently, haughtily’
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500proutlyWiktionary, English proudly
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1906proudlyWiktionary, English proudly. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett: “And with domes and pinnacles the dreams arose and…”

Linked words

through Old English prūd ‘proud’

pride, 1 more

Today it means

adv In a proud manner.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “proudly”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English prutlice. 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 prūd / proudly

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