Lastly
adverbIn the final position; used to introduce the last point or item in a series.
How to spell lastly
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce lastly
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does lastly mean?
- adverbIn the final position; used to introduce the last point or item in a series.
Lastly in a sentence
-
Lastly, remember to lock the office before you leave.
-
The report covered costs, timelines, and lastly the staffing plan.
Where does lastly come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
This word is built from the native English adjective 'last', which traces back to the Old English 'latost', the superlative of 'laet' meaning 'late' or 'slow'. Over centuries 'latost' contracted into the shorter 'last', meaning 'coming after all others'. The adverb 'lastly' was then formed in Middle English by attaching the common suffix '-ly', which derives from the Old English '-lice' meaning 'in the manner of'. It has been used since the 1400s to mark the final item in a sequence, especially when listing points or steps. Because the base word already ends in a doubled-looking cluster, writers sometimes hesitate over the spelling, but it is simply 'last' plus '-ly' with no letters added or dropped.
How the word is built
- last (final, from Old English latost: latest)
- -ly (adverb suffix)
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