Etymograph

English

widely

Widely comes from Middle English wijdly.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wijdly1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1948widely1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English widely
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1948, Carey McWilliams, J. B. Lippincott Company: “In 1866 Colonel J. F. Meline noted that the…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wijdlyWiktionary, English widely
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1948widelyWiktionary, English widely. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1948, Carey McWilliams, J. B. Lippincott Company: “In 1866 Colonel J. F. Meline noted that the…”

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Today it means

adv In a wide manner; across a wide area.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “widely”. 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 wijdly / widely