Etymology

Formed within English on nait (adj.) (only attested later, but cp. a1250 Ancr. (Tit D.18) vnnait and vnneite) + suffix -ly. ME nait < ON; cp. OIcel neytr 'good, fit for use', formed on the stem of the wk. v. represented by OIcel neyta 'to use, enjoy' <*naut(j)an-, a causative of the st. *neutan- (cp. OE nēotan, OIcel njóta, Go niutan, OFris niāta etc.) (see nayte).

PGmc Ancestor

*naut(j)a-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

neytr 'good, fit for use'
(ONP neytr (adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel neytur, Norw fånøytt

OE Cognate

cp. nēotan (v.) 'to use, enjoy, employ'

Phonological and morphological markers

ON /ey/ &lt; PGmc */au/ by front mutation

Summary category

A1ac

Attestation

This is the earliest citation of the adv. in MED and OED. The adv. and the adj. nait are only attested from Sc. and the N/EM.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 480; WA 828*, 2896

Bibliography

MED naitlī (adv.) , MED nait (adj.) , OED3 naitly , OED3 nait (adj.1) , HTOED , Bj. 65, de Vries neyti, Mag. neytur, Orel *nautjanan