Etymology: < a first element of uncertain origin + -ly suffix2. The first element perhaps represents: (i) a borrowing < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic tregða reluctance, difficulty; < the Germanic base of tray v.1 + the Germanic base of -th suffix1), with the (otherwise unattested) sense ‘grief, pain’ after either the related Old Icelandic tregi reluctance, difficulty, grief, pain (see tray n.1), or its cognate Old English trega grief, pain, affliction; or (ii) the reflex of an unattested Old English *tregþ(u) < trega grief, pain, affliction (see tray n.1) + -th suffix1; compare the doublets strengh n. and strength n., and note also the common alliterative pairing of tray n.1 with teen n.1 already in Old English (compare the related teen v.1 in quot. c14002).
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
adv.c1400