English word origin

Etymology of badly

From Middle English badly, baddely, baddeliche, equivalent to bad + -ly.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

adj

Ill, unwell.

adv

In a bad manner. · Very much; to a great degree.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English badly, baddely, baddeliche, equivalent to bad + -ly.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionbadlyenm
Word-formation componentbaden
Word-formation component-lyen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "badly"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English badly"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bad",
        "3": "-ly",
        "id2": "adverbial"
      },
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    }
  ],
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    ],
    [
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      "baddely#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "baddeliche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "bad",
      "bad#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ly",
      "-ly#English:_adverbial"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Ill, unwell."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England"
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 308857
    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "In a bad manner.",
        "Very much; to a great degree."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for badly →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YmFkbHk