The compound adjective 'this-worldly' is a modern English formation built entirely from native Germanic elements. The core component, 'world', descends from the Old English 'woruld', which originally combined 'wer' (man) and 'old' (age) to signify "the age of man" or "human existence." The demonstrative 'this' specifies the immediate, tangible realm as opposed to another, such as an afterlife or spiritual plane. The suffix '-ly' converts the noun phrase into an adjective, creating a term that explicitly characterizes a focus on the present, material, and secular aspects of life, often in deliberate contrast to 'otherworldly' concerns.

Structure: this + world + ly this: Old English. A demonstrative pronoun used attributively to specify the immediate, present, or material sphere. world: Old English. The noun meaning the earth, human existence, and secular affairs. ly: Old English. An adjectival suffix meaning "having the qualities of" or "characterized by".