*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bigly

From Middle English bygly, byggly, biggely. By surface analysis, big (“of great size, large (adjective); to a large extent, on a large scale; hard (adverb)”) + -ly.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Big league.

adv

In a big way, greatly; to a great extent, on a large scale. · Strongly, with great force. · In a blustering or boastful manner; haughtily, pompously.

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

From Middle English bygly, byggly, biggely. By surface analysis, big (“of great size, large (adjective); to a large extent, on a large scale; hard (adverb)”) + -ly.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionbyglyenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "bygly"
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      "expansion": "Middle English bygly"
    },
    {
      "name": "surf",
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        "2": "big#Etymology_1",
        "3": "-ly",
        "t1": "of great size, large (adjective); to a large extent, on a large scale; hard (adverb)",
        "id2": "adverbial"
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, big (“of great size, large (adjective); to a large extent, on a large scale; hard (adverb)”) + -ly"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "bygly",
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    ],
    [
      "byggly",
      "byggly#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "biggely",
      "biggely#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "big",
      "big#Etymology_1"
    ],
    [
      "great",
      "great"
    ],
    [
      "size",
      "size"
    ],
    [
      "large",
      "large"
    ],
    [
      "extent",
      "extent"
    ],
    [
      "scale",
      "scale#Noun"
    ],
    [
      "hard",
      "hard"
    ],
    [
      "-ly",
      "-ly#English:_adverbial"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Big league."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous",
        "nonstandard"
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        "archaic"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Habitable, liveable; hence delightful, pleasant, pleasing.

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

From Middle English bygly, biglie, byggly (“comfortable, stately, perfect”), borrowed from Old Norse byggiligr, byggviligr (“habitable”); equivalent to big (“to build, construct, live in, reside, dwell”) + -ly. Cognate with Icelandic byggilegur (“inhabitable, liveable”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      },
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    },
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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": "byggilegur",
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      },
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    }
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      "byggly#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "byggiligr#Old_Norse"
    ],
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    ],
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      "big",
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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 bigly →

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-YmlnbHk