Solely

How to spell solely

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce solely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does solely mean?

1. adverbOnly and exclusively; with nothing or no one else involved.

Solely in a sentence

• The delay was solely the result of bad weather.

• She relied solely on her savings to fund the trip.

Where does solely come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the adjective 'sole', meaning single or alone, which entered English in the late 1300s through Old French 'sol' from the Latin 'solus', literally 'alone' or 'by itself'. That same Latin root lies behind familiar relatives such as 'solo', 'solitude', and 'desolate', all carrying the idea of being on one's own. To form an adverb, English simply added the suffix '-ly', meaning 'in the manner of', producing 'solely' to mean 'only' or 'exclusively'. The spelling trap is built right into this construction: because 'sole' ends in a silent 'e', writers often drop it when adding '-ly', wrongly producing 'soley', when in fact the 'e' is retained before the consonant suffix. Remembering that 'solely' is simply 'sole' plus 'ly' keeps the spelling secure.

How the word is built

• sole (single, alone, from Latin solus)
• -ly (adverb suffix)