-ly

a suffix forming adverbs from adjectives: gladly; gradually; secondly. See grammar note at adverb

a suffix meaning “every,” attached to certain nouns denoting units of time: hourly; daily.

an adjective suffix meaning “-like”: saintly; cowardly.

Origin:
(adv.) Middle English -li, -lich(e), Old English -līce (-līc adj. suffix + -e adv. suffix); (adj.) Middle English -li, -ly, -lich(e), Old English -līc (cognate with German -lich), suffixal use of gelīc like¹

Synonyms
3. See -ish¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Relevant Questions

What Is 1x1x1x1x?

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-ly is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

-ly¹

—*suffix forming adjectives*
1.	having the nature or qualities of: brotherly; godly
2.	occurring at certain intervals; every: daily; yearly

[Old English -lic]

-ly²

—*suffix forming adverbs*
	in a certain manner; to a certain degree: quickly; recently; chiefly

[Old English -lice, from -lic-ly¹]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

-ly

suffix forming adjectives from nouns, "having qualities of, appropriate to, fitting," irregularly descended from O.E. -lic, from P.Gmc. *-liko- (cf. O.Fris. -lik, Du. -lijk, O.H.G. -lih, Ger. -lich, O.N. -ligr), related to *likom- "appearance, form" (cf. O.E. lich "corpse, body;" see

lich, which is a cognate; cf. also like (adj.), with which it is identical).

-ly

adv. ending, from O.E. -lice, from P.Gmc. *-liko- (cf. O.Fris. -like, O.S. -liko, Du. -lijk, O.H.G. -licho, Ger. -lich, O.N. -liga, Goth. -leiko); see -ly (1). Cognate with lich, and identical with like (adj.).

"It is curious that Teut[onic] uses 'body' for the adv. formation, while Rom[anic] uses 'mind,' e.g. F. constamment = L. constanti mente." [Weekley]

The modern English form emerged in late M.E., probably from influence of O.N. -liga.

Matching Quote

"To the Ocean now I fly,
And those happy climes that ly
Where day never shuts his eye,
Up in the broad fields of the sky:"

-John Milton

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