Preferably

How to spell preferably

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce preferably

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does preferably mean?

1. adverbIdeally; if there is a choice, this is the option that is wanted or recommended.

Preferably in a sentence

• Send the documents by email, preferably before noon.

• The recipe needs fresh herbs, preferably basil or parsley.

Where does preferably come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb is built on the verb 'prefer', which English borrowed in the late 1300s through Old French 'preferer' from the Latin 'praeferre'. That Latin verb combined 'prae', meaning 'before' or 'in front', with 'ferre', meaning 'to carry' or 'to bring', so its literal sense was to carry one thing in front of another, that is, to set it ahead in esteem. From the idea of holding something before all the rest came the modern sense of liking it more. The adjective 'preferable' (capable of being preferred) was then formed, and adding the adverb suffix '-ly' produced 'preferably'. The 'ferre' root is remarkably productive in English, surfacing in 'transfer', 'refer', 'offer', and 'conference', and the spelling trap here is the unstressed middle, since the stress sits on the first syllable and the '-erably' tail collapses into a string of weak vowels that are easy to garble.

How the word is built

• pre- (before)
• fer (from Latin ferre: to carry, bring)
• -able (capable of)
• -ly (adverb)