-ly
WiktionaryText

Etymology 1


From , from , from (whence ). Cognate with Dutch , German and Swedish .

Suffix



  1. Used to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "like or characteristic of what is denoted by the noun".
    gentlemanly

Suffix



  1. Used to form adverbs from adjectives.
    suddenly

Usage notes

  • In the English language, -ly is often omitted from adverbs (e.g. badly becomes bad). This can be considered improper grammar, and may be corrected, "I want it bad." being "I want it badly.", for example.
 
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