Shortly

How to spell shortly

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce shortly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does shortly mean?

1. adverbIn a short time; soon or before long.
2. adverbIn a curt, abrupt, or impatient manner.

Shortly in a sentence

• The meeting will begin shortly after lunch.

• She answered shortly and refused to explain her decision.

• The technician said the system would be back online shortly.

• The manager spoke shortly to the latecomers and ended the call.

Where does shortly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word builds on the adjective 'short', which descends from the Old English sceort, meaning 'not long' in either distance or time. To that base English added the productive adverb ending -ly, itself worn down from the Old English -lice, which originally meant something like 'in the manner of'. The adverb shortlice already existed in Old English, and it carried two related ideas: 'briefly' (in few words) and 'in a short time'. Over the centuries the temporal sense, meaning 'soon' or 'before long', became the dominant everyday use, while the older 'curtly, abruptly' sense survives in phrases like speaking shortly with someone. The spelling stays regular because the silent trap people expect is not really there: it is simply short plus ly, with no doubled letter and no dropped e.

How the word is built

• short (from Old English sceort: brief, not long)
• -ly (adverb suffix)