English word origin

Etymology of fully

From Middle English fully, fulliche, volliche, from Old English fullīċe (“fully”), equivalent to full + -ly. Compare German völlig (“fully”), Swedish fullt (“fully”).

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 ↗

adv

In a full manner; without lack or defect; completely, entirely. · Used as an intensifier for a quantity. · Exactly, equally. · So as to be full (not hungry); to satiation.

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

From Middle English fully, fulliche, volliche, from Old English fullīċe (“fully”), equivalent to full + -ly. Compare German völlig (“fully”), Swedish fullt (“fully”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionfullyenm
Inherited-form mentionfullīċeang · fully
Word-formation componentfullen
Word-formation component-lyen
Cognate mentionvölligde · fully
Cognate mentionfulltsv · fully

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fully"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fully"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "fullīċe",
        "t": "fully"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English fullīċe (“fully”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "full",
        "3": "-ly",
        "id2": "adverbial"
      },
      "expansion": "full + -ly"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "völlig",
        "t": "fully"
      },
      "expansion": "German völlig (“fully”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "fullt",
        "t": "fully"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish fullt (“fully”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fully",
      "fully#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fulliche",
      "fulliche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "volliche",
      "volliche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fullīċe",
      "fullice#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "full",
      "full#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ly",
      "-ly#English:_adverbial"
    ],
    [
      "völlig",
      "völlig#German"
    ],
    [
      "fullt",
      "fullt#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "In a full manner; without lack or defect; completely, entirely.",
        "Used as an intensifier for a quantity.",
        "Exactly, equally.",
        "So as to be full (not hungry); to satiation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "a463cc25c192d4777b3dd7f54aa28189a6d449b9e114b4df38065d1ad39f0f6b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c9aaefe884c03e1e667277890ff899844418f502a29c8fa8c383bfe39864afc4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 277994
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To commit or send someone to trial.

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

A reference to the phrase "the prisoner was fully committed for trial".

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To commit or send someone to trial."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "dec568136810eb9a33582ecba7d625d6eeb03e44db3f32ffc22d1f0115e4f9cd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b432633feeadc8278ba930760dd5113de1956fe8def5a30e2abaa71afe4f8150",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 277995
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 fully →

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-ZnVsbHk