Regularly

How to spell regularly

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce regularly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does regularly mean?

1. adverbAt consistent, recurring intervals, or in an even and uniform manner.

Regularly in a sentence

• The heating engineer recommends that the boiler be serviced regularly to avoid breakdowns.

• She contributes to her pension regularly so the savings build steadily over the years.

Where does regularly come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin noun regula, which literally meant a straight stick or ruler, the kind of measuring rod a carpenter or builder would use to keep work true. From that concrete tool the sense broadened to mean a rule or standard, since a straight edge was the very thing by which evenness was judged. Latin formed the adjective regularis, meaning 'according to rule', and this passed into English through Old French as 'regular' in the late Middle Ages. The adverb 'regularly' was then built in English by adding the native -ly ending, giving the meaning 'in a uniform or recurring way'. The same regula root still sits inside 'rule', 'ruler', and 'regulate', and the spelling trap lives in that quiet middle: the -ar- syllable is easy to swallow in speech, so writers sometimes drop it and produce the wrong 'regulary'.

How the word is built

• regul- (from Latin regula: a rule, straight rod)
• -ar (adjective suffix: relating to)
• -ly (adverb suffix)