Etymograph

English

usually

Usually comes from Middle English usualli.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500usualli1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1907usually1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English usually
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1907, Robert William Chambers, New York: “He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500usualliWiktionary, English usually
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1907usuallyWiktionary, English usually. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1907, Robert William Chambers, New York: “He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a…”

The story

Broadly displaced native Old English ġewunelīċe (from which English wontly).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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Today it means

adv Most of the time; less than always, but more than occasionally.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “usually”. 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 usualli / usually