Effectively

How to spell effectively

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce effectively

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does effectively mean?

1. adverbIn a way that produces the intended result or works well.
2. adverbIn practical terms; for all real purposes, even if not officially so.

Effectively in a sentence

• The new filing system lets the team work more effectively.

• With both partners retiring, the firm was effectively closed.

• To argue your case effectively, gather the figures in advance.

• The late fee effectively doubled the cost of the ticket.

Where does effectively come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb facere, meaning 'to make' or 'to do', combined with the prefix ex-, meaning 'out'. The compound efficere meant 'to bring about' or 'to accomplish', and its past participle effectus gave Latin the noun effectus, 'a result' or 'an achievement'. From this came the late Latin adjective effectivus, 'productive' or 'capable of producing a result', which passed through Old French as effectif and into English in the late Middle Ages. The adverb effectively simply layers the native English -ly ending onto that adjective. The doubled f, which is the usual spelling trap, is a fossil of the assimilation of the Latin ex- before the f of facere, and the same fect root surfaces in relatives such as 'perfect', 'defect', and 'affect'.

How the word is built

• ef- (from Latin ex-, out)
• fect (from facere: to make or do)
• -ive (adjective suffix)
• -ly (adverb suffix)