origin of "gingerly" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
The origin of gingerly is uncertain. The French etymology. The most common explanation is that ginger- in gingerly represents an adoption of Old French gensor (other forms include gentior and gentor), which is the comparative of Old French gent, from Latin.
Can "ginger" be used as an adjective with the same sense as …
2020年6月7日 · The Oxford English Dictionary lists “ginger” as a synonymous backformation of “gingerly” (and unrelated to the plant/color “ginger”), with examples dating back as far as 1600. Of the modern examples it says “chiefly English regional and North American”. Being American, I agree that it sounds natural in some cases:
Is "walking gingerly" the first usage of "gingerly"? And why did it ...
2018年10月29日 · Your best bet for questions like this is the Oxford English DIctionary. The first edition is available online without charge; it says that in its earliest use (early 16th century) gingerly was chiefly applied to dancing and walking, with the sense "daintily, elegantly". The origin is uncertain, but there is apparently no etymological connection ...
Gingerly, the adjective and adverb - English Language & Usage …
2018年8月18日 · 1. The adjective wary and adverb warily each have gingerly as a synonym, instead of the adjectival form being ginger. If it were ginger, I could also imagine the adverb being the flat ginger. I hesitate before calling the adverb gingerly flat because, while it is indeed equivalent to its associated adjective rather than gaining a suffix, the ...
What is the origin of the term "ginger" for red-headed people?
2014年8月31日 · The OED online has this listed as definition 5.B of "ginger": B. adj.1 dial. Of hair: Having the colour of ginger.
etymology - Origin of "walking on eggshells"? - English Language ...
2014年7月4日 · Walking on eggshells: 1800's usage, probably from the imagery that eggshells are easily broken. The origin of the idiom is a matter of dispute, but the general consensus is that walking on eggshells came from the same place as other cautionary actions, such as walking on thin ice or broken glass. Some sources suggest that it came from an ...
meaning - Is there a word for “carefully planning your future” or ...
2018年6月2日 · Prudent is explicitly about planning ahead:. Oxford dictionary:. prudent adjective. Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.
Is a thumb also a finger? - English Language & Usage Stack …
2010年12月22日 · He fingered the steaming mug gingerly, taking quick sips in between mouthfuls of bread. However, one would rarely, if ever, hear finger used in a singular sense to directly mean thumb . Digit[s] is rarely used in everyday conversation, and since it also includes toes , one is probably most likely going to hear/use fingers when the manual digits ...
grammaticality - Behave as if it was or it were - English Language ...
You can place the script in the head or body as you like. The script will behave as if it was located exactly where you put the script tag in the document. The sentences above are taken from t...
Are there any adverbs ending in -ly without an adjectival …
2023年6月14日 · Gingerly. The only true example of this I can think of. Gingerly is definitely not an adjective and Ginger as a noun or an adjective has nothing to do with the meaning of the adverb form.