When Was the Word Deftly First Used?

"aptly, dexterously, in a skillful manner," mid-15c., from deft + -ly (2). An earlier adverb was daftelike "mannerly, properly, modestly, humbly" (c. 1200).

Where does deftly come from?

The Old English word gedæfte, which means "mild" or "gentle," is the root of the word deftly, whose meaning still has that sense of doing something both skillfully and gently, or effortlessly.

When was the word really first used?

The first known use of really was in the 15th century.