Abnormally

How to spell abnormally

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce abnormally

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does abnormally mean?

1. adverbIn a way that deviates from what is normal, expected, or typical.

Abnormally in a sentence

• The engine was running abnormally hot during the long drive.

• Sales were abnormally low for that time of year.

Where does abnormally come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin norma, which literally meant a carpenter's square, the practical tool used to draw a true right angle, and from there came to mean a 'rule' or 'standard' of any kind. Combined with the prefix ab-, meaning 'away from', Latin produced abnormis for something that departs from the rule. English first adopted the adjective 'abnormal' in the early 1800s, and there was an older rival form 'anormal' that had passed through French, but the spelling was reshaped to align it neatly with the Latin norma. The adverb 'abnormally' simply adds the familiar -ly ending. The same norma root still sits visibly inside everyday words such as 'norm', 'normal', and 'enormous', which literally means 'out of the norm'. Remembering that hidden 'norm' is the easiest guard against dropping a letter when spelling abnormally.

How the word is built

• ab- (away from)
• norm (from Latin norma: rule, standard)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)