Jointly

How to spell jointly

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce jointly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does jointly mean?

1. adverbTogether with one or more other people, sharing responsibility or ownership.

Jointly in a sentence

• The couple jointly own the house and split the mortgage.

• The two departments jointly manage the annual budget.

Where does jointly come from?

Language of origin: French

This word builds on 'joint', which English took from Old French in the 1200s, where 'joint' was the past participle of 'joindre', meaning 'to join'. That French verb descends from the Latin 'iungere', meaning 'to yoke together' or 'to unite', a root also visible in 'junction', 'conjugal', and even 'yoke' itself. As a noun, 'joint' first described a place where two bones or two pieces meet, then broadened to anything shared between parties. Adding the native English adverb suffix '-ly' produced 'jointly', meaning 'in a shared or combined way', and the spelling is straightforward once you remember it is simply the word 'joint' with '-ly' attached, with no letters dropped or doubled.

How the word is built

• joint (from join, to unite)
• -ly (adverb suffix)