I. _lē, li adjective suffix
( usually -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English -lich, -ly, -li, from Old English -līc, -lic; akin to Old Frisian & Old Saxon -līk -ly, Middle Dutch -lijc, Old High German -līh, -lih, Old Norse -ligr; all from a Germanic noun represented by Old English līc body, corpse — more at like
1. : like in appearance, manner, or nature : having the characteristics of
queen ly
father ly
woman ly
2. : expressing regular recurrence in stated units of time : every
hour ly
dai ly
week ly
II. “; in -l(e)ly words pronunciation of only one l is usual if the nucleus of the next-to-the-last syllable is an unstressed vowel or a syllabic 1, less frequent if the nucleus is a stressed vowel{fl>adverb suffix{
( usually -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English -liche, -ly, -li, from Old English -līce, -lice, from -līc, -lic (adjective suffix)
: in a (specified) manner
slow ly
: in the manner of a
soldier ly
: from a (specified) standpoint