Yearly is an adjective and adverb meaning "happening or produced once a year; annually". Historically, it is from Old English ġēarlīc ('yearly'), from ġēar ('year') + -līc ('-ly'), from Proto-Germanic *jērą ('year'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: yearly is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "happening or produced once a year; annually", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Old English ġēar with Proto-Germanic *jērą. Close English family members include year, and yearling.