finally (English)

Where does "finally" come from?

The word 'finally' is formed by combining the Middle English 'final' with the suffix '-ly'. 'Final' traces back to the Latin 'fīnālis', derived from 'fīnis', meaning 'end' or 'boundary', while '-ly' stems from an ancient Germanic root meaning 'body' or 'form', which eventually evolved to denote similarity or characteristic behavior. Together, they traveled from Latin through Old French and Middle English to become our modern way of describing the culmination of events.

Full etymology tree

• finally (English), 'At the end or conclusion; ultimately.'
  • inherited finally (Middle English)
    • suffix final (Middle English)
      • borrowed final (Old French), 'final, definitive, last'
        • inherited fīnālis (Latin), 'Of or pertaining to boundaries.'
          • derived fīnis (Latin), 'end'
            • inherited *dʰeygʷ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to stick into, pierce'
            • inherited *bʰeyd- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to split'
            • inherited *bʰeyH- (Proto-Indo-European)
          • inherited *h₂el- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to grow, nourish'
    • suffix -ly (Middle English), 'Used to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "like or characteristic of what is denoted by the noun".'
      • inherited -līċ (Old English), 'adjective-forming suffix meaning 'like' or 'relating to''
        • inherited *-līkaz (Proto-West Germanic)
          • inherited *-līkaz (Proto-Germanic), '-like, -ly. Forms adjectives from nouns and adjectives with the sense of 'similar to, characteristic of'.'
            • derived *līką (Proto-Germanic), 'body'
              • inherited *leyg- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to jump around, run around'

Direct ancestors

• final (English)
• -ly (English)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris