Sufficiently

How to spell sufficiently

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce sufficiently

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sufficiently mean?

1. adverbTo an adequate degree; enough to meet a particular need or standard.

Sufficiently in a sentence

• The report was sufficiently detailed for the board to make a decision.

• Make sure the glue has dried sufficiently before you sand the surface.

Where does sufficiently come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin verb sufficere, which literally meant 'to put under' or 'to supply', formed from sub 'up to, under' and facere 'to make or do'. Over time sufficere took on the sense of being enough or adequate to meet a need, and its present participle sufficiens gave the adjective 'sufficient', meaning 'enough'. English borrowed 'sufficient' through Old French during the 1300s, and the adverb 'sufficiently' was built on it with the native English ending -ly. The same facere root that hides inside the middle of this word also powers a large family of relatives such as 'effect', 'factory', and 'efficient', which shares the very same -ficient spelling. Remembering that the double f comes from suf- meeting fic, and that the tricky soft sound is spelled -cient (not -tient or -shent), is the key to getting it right.

How the word is built

• suf- (variant of sub-: up, under)
• fic (from Latin facere: to make or do)
• -ient (adjectival ending)
• -ly (adverb suffix)