Hugely

How to spell hugely

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce hugely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hugely mean?

1. adverbTo a very great extent or degree; enormously.

Hugely in a sentence

• The new software has hugely improved our reporting times.

• Investors were hugely relieved when the figures finally turned positive.

Where does hugely come from?

Language of origin: French

This adverb is built from the adjective 'huge' plus the common English adverb ending '-ly'. The base word 'huge' entered English in the 1200s from the Old French 'ahuge' or 'huge', meaning very large or enormous, although the deeper origin of that French word is genuinely uncertain and may itself be a shortening of an earlier form. Once 'huge' settled into English to describe great size, the suffix '-ly', which traces back to the Old English 'lice' meaning 'in the manner of', was attached to turn it into an adverb of degree. By the 1500s 'hugely' was being used to mean 'to a very great extent' rather than purely 'in a large physical way'. The spelling trap is the silent 'e' of 'huge' surviving intact before '-ly', since English usually keeps that 'e' when the suffix begins with a consonant, giving 'hugely' rather than 'hugly'.

How the word is built

• huge (very large)
• -ly (adverb suffix)