-ly

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Pronunciation

• IPA: /li/
  • (British) IPA: [liː]
    • (RP) IPA: [lɪ]
  • (America) IPA: [li]
  • (New Zealand) IPA: [ɫiː]

Etymology 1

From Middle English -ly, -li, -lik, -lich, from Old English -līċ, from Proto-West Germanic *-līk, from Proto-Germanic *-līkaz, from *līką ("body") (whence lich).

Suffix

1. Used to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "behaving like, or having a nature typical of what is denoted by the noun" Similar in meaning to -like but most often paired with animate nouns.

   man + -ly → manly

   friend + -ly → friendly

2. Used to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "appearing like, resembling, or having the likeness of what is denoted by the noun".

   bloom + -ly → bloomly

   priest + -ly → priestly

3. Used to form adjectives from nouns specifying time intervals, the adjectives having the sense of "occurring at such intervals".

   month + -ly → monthly

   day + -ly → daily

Synonyms

• -ish
• -like
• -y
• suggesting degree -ous
• suggesting degree -some
• likeness or resemblance -oid, quasi-, para-, -form/-iform, -esque, -some, (restricted to casual registers) -ass, (forms adjectives from nouns only) -like

Translations

• French: -ment
• German: -lich, -ig, -isch, -haft
• Portuguese: -oso, -ento, -mente
• Russian: -ский
• Spanish: -oso, -mente

Etymology 2

From Middle English -ly, -li, -liche, from Old English -līċe.

Suffix

1. Used to form adverbs from adjectives and nouns.

   sudden + -ly → suddenly

Translations

• French: -ment
• German: (normal adverbs are the same in form as the respective adjectives); -erweise (forms adverbs that modify phrases or sentences), -lich
• Italian: -mente
• Portuguese: -mente
• Russian: -о
• Spanish: -mente

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