Deadly
/ˈdɛd.li/noun
Causing or able to cause death; extremely dangerous or harmful.
Did you know?Deadly is built from dead + -ly, and in older English it could mean not just 'causing death' but also 'death-like' or 'dead in appearance,' showing how language can turn a state into an omen.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheu-
“to die, be dead”
Old English
OE
dēad
“dead; lifeless”
Old English
OE
-līc
“in a manner like; forming adjectives”
Middle English
ME
dedli / deadly
“deadly; fatal; also death-like”
Modern English
English
deadly
“causing or capable of causing death; extremely dangerous”