Safely
adverbIn a way that avoids harm, danger, or risk.
How to spell safely
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce safely
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does safely mean?
- adverbIn a way that avoids harm, danger, or risk.
Safely in a sentence
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The pilot landed the plane safely despite the storm.
-
Store the medication safely out of reach of children.
Where does safely come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The base word 'safe' came into English in the 1300s from the Old French 'sauf', meaning 'unharmed' or 'protected', which descended from the Latin 'salvus', meaning 'uninjured', 'healthy', or 'whole'. That same Latin root underlies a family of words about wellbeing, including 'salvage', 'salvation', and the toast 'salut'. The adverb 'safely' is the native English construction, formed simply by adding the Old English adverb-forming ending '-ly' (originally '-lice', meaning 'in the manner of') to the borrowed adjective. Because the suffix is just '-ly' attached to the whole word 'safe', the spelling keeps the silent final 'e' of 'safe', which is the one small point writers occasionally second-guess.
How the word is built
- safe (free from harm)
- -ly (adverb suffix)
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