elegantly
/ˈelɪɡəntˌli/EH-lih-guhnt-lee
/ˈɛlɪɡəntˌli/EH-lih-guhnt-lee
Meaningin an elegant way
Common meaning: in an elegant way (inferred)
- eoutSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 187 · scan
- legantto gather, pick out; to readLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1048 · scan
- lyadverb ending: in a way
‘out’ + ‘to gather, pick out’ → elegantly
Sources & notes
Inferred source: no dictionary we use has an entry for this exact word. Its history is worked out from closely related, listed words in the same family, and we are trusting that link, so bear that in mind. Inferred meaning: in an elegant way. It can be inferred from any of: elegant.
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from elegant + -ly (inferred: this exact word is not listed in our dictionaries).
Roots
- elegantem Latin “choosing out”
- legō, lēgī, lēctum Latin “to gather, pick out; to read”
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app