Especially

How to spell especially

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce especially

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does especially mean?

1. adverbTo a degree that is notably greater than usual; particularly or above all.

Especially in a sentence

• The roads are dangerous in winter, especially after heavy snow.

• She enjoys all music but is especially fond of jazz.

Where does especially come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin specialis, meaning 'belonging to a particular kind', which was built on species, the noun for a sort, type, or appearance. When the word passed into Old French it became especial, and French speakers added that leading 'e' as a prosthetic vowel, because the cluster sp- at the start of a word was awkward to pronounce; the same habit gives us French words like ecole and Spanish escuela. English borrowed especial in the 1300s and formed the adverb especially soon after by attaching the native -ly ending. Over time the plainer Latinate form 'special' (and 'specially') came back into English directly, so the two pairs now live side by side, with especially generally signalling 'above all, more than usually'. The lingering 'e' from that French detour is precisely the spot writers stumble over, often dropping it or confusing it with the 'ex' of 'expect'.

How the word is built

• e- (prosthetic vowel from Old French)
• speci (from Latin species: kind, sort)
• -al (adjective suffix)
• -ly (adverb suffix)