Softly

How to spell softly

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce softly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does softly mean?

1. adverbIn a quiet, gentle, or tender manner.

Softly in a sentence

• She spoke softly so the baby would not wake.

• The rain fell softly against the bedroom window.

Where does softly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The base word soft comes from the Old English sōfte, an earlier form of which was sēfte, meaning 'gentle, mild, or agreeable', and which originally described things that were soothing or pleasant rather than merely yielding to the touch. It belongs to a wider family of Germanic words, with relatives in Old Saxon and Old High German that carried the same sense of gentleness and ease. The adverb-forming suffix -ly descends from the Old English -līce, literally 'in the manner of', so softly has meant 'in a soft or gentle manner' since the earliest English. Over the centuries the meaning broadened from physical gentleness to quietness of sound and lightness of movement. Because the word is built so transparently from soft plus -ly, the spelling holds no real trap; the t and the single f are both clearly heard and seen.

How the word is built

• soft (from Old English sōfte: gentle, mild)
• -ly (adverb suffix)