Extensively

How to spell extensively

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce extensively

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does extensively mean?

1. adverbTo a large degree or over a wide area; thoroughly and in great detail.

Extensively in a sentence

• The report has been extensively revised since the first draft.

• She has travelled extensively across South America for her research.

Where does extensively come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin verb tendere, which literally meant 'to stretch'. By adding the prefix ex- ('out'), Latin formed extendere, 'to stretch out', and its past participle extensus gave rise to the late Latin adjective extensivus, describing something that stretches out widely. English took the adjective 'extensive' from this line, largely through French and Latin scholarly use in the 1500s and 1600s, and then built the adverb 'extensively' with the native English ending -ly. The same tendere root still stretches through a whole family of relatives such as 'tension', 'tendon', and 'extend', all of which carry the underlying idea of stretching or reaching. Keeping that 'tens' core in mind helps with the spelling, since the trap is the unstressed middle and the -ive-ly join rather than the easily heard parts.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• tens (from tendere: to stretch)
• -ive (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)