Securely

How to spell securely

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce securely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does securely mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is firmly fixed, safely protected, or free from risk.

Securely in a sentence

• The ladder was securely fastened to the scaffolding before anyone climbed.

• All customer payments are processed securely through an encrypted gateway.

Where does securely come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb is built on the adjective 'secure', which English took from the Latin securus, meaning literally 'free from care' or 'untroubled'. That Latin word combined se-, meaning 'without' or 'apart from', with cura, meaning 'care' or 'concern', so a secure person was one whose worries had been removed. English borrowed 'secure' in the early 1500s, at first carrying the sense of feeling safe and confident, and the meaning soon broadened to describe things firmly fastened or protected from harm. The adverb form simply adds the everyday -ly ending to turn the adjective into a description of how something is done. The same cura root still surfaces in 'cure', 'curious' and 'manicure', and remembering 'secure' plus a plain '-ly' keeps the spelling regular, since no letter is doubled or dropped at the join.

How the word is built

• secure (from Latin securus: se- 'free from'
• cura 'care')
• -ly (adverb suffix)