purely

/ˈpjʊəli/PYUUR-lee

/ˈpjʊɹli/PYUUR-lee

Meaningin a pure way

Common meaning: only

Other meanings: completely

purclean, unmixedLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1492 · scan
lyadverb ending: in a way

Journey through time

Proto-Indo-European*pu-‘purify, cleanse, make clear or evident’source
Latinpūrus, -a, -um‘clean, unmixed’
Middle Englishpursource
Englishpure‘unmixed, clean’
Englishformed in English from purepurely‘only’ · today

Sources & notes

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 pure + -ly.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), PURE, p.478 · scan

Roots

pūrus, -a, -um Latin “clean, unmixed”

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