Etymograph

English

surely

Surely comes from Middle English surely ‘safely’, and goes back to sure.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sure1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500surely2‘safely’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1611surely2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Middle English surely
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English surely
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sureWiktionary, Middle English surely
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500surelyWiktionary, English surely‘safely’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1611surelyWiktionary, English surely. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set…”

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Today it means

adv Without fail.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “surely”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Middle English surely. 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 sure / surely