Proudly

How to spell proudly

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce proudly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does proudly mean?

1. adverbIn a way that shows pride, satisfaction, or dignity about an achievement or possession.

Proudly in a sentence

• She proudly displayed the diploma on her office wall.

• The veterans marched proudly through the town square.

Where does proudly come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is built on the adjective 'proud', which came into late Old English as 'prud' or 'prut', borrowed from the Old French 'prud' or 'prod', meaning 'brave', 'valiant', or 'gallant'. That French form descended from the Late Latin 'prode', meaning 'advantageous' or 'useful', which itself traces back to the Latin verb 'prodesse', 'to be of value'. Over time the English sense narrowed from the broad idea of being valiant to the modern feeling of self-satisfaction and dignity. The adverb 'proudly' simply attaches the native English suffix '-ly', meaning 'in the manner of', to that adjective, and because 'proud' ends in a consonant the spelling stays clean with no doubling or dropped letters. Interestingly, the same French root also gave English the word 'prowess', which kept the original flavour of bravery and skill.

How the word is built

• proud (adjective, from Old English/Old French prud)
• -ly (adverb suffix)