Formerly

How to spell formerly

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce formerly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does formerly mean?

1. adverbAt an earlier time; in the past, before the present situation.

Formerly in a sentence

• The building was formerly a bank before it became a restaurant.

• She formerly worked as an accountant in the same firm.

Where does formerly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English forma, meaning 'first' or 'earliest', which was itself a superlative built on the same Germanic root that gives us 'fore' and 'before'. By the Middle English period the comparative-looking 'former' had settled into the sense of 'earlier in time' or 'the previous one of two', and adding the ordinary adverb-forming suffix -ly produced 'formerly', meaning 'at an earlier time'. The word has been in steady use since the 1400s to point back to a past state of affairs. Its near-twin 'formally' comes from an entirely different source, the Latin forma 'shape or form', and the two are constant rivals in writing because they sound almost identical; remembering that 'formerly' is built on 'former' (earlier) is the surest way to keep the spelling straight.

How the word is built

• former (earlier, from Old English forma 'first')
• -ly (adverb suffix)