Technically

How to spell technically

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce technically

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does technically mean?

1. adverbAccording to the precise facts or strict rules, even if not in spirit or in everyday practice.

Technically in a sentence

• The office is technically open until five, though most staff leave by four.

• Technically the loan is interest free, but the late fees make it expensive.

Where does technically come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek tekhne, which meant 'art, craft, or skill', the same root that gives us 'technique', 'technology', and 'architect'. From tekhne the Greeks formed tekhnikos, an adjective meaning 'belonging to an art or skill'. Latin borrowed this as technicus, and by the 1600s English had shaped it into the adjective 'technical', first used for matters belonging to a particular art, trade, or specialised field. The adverb 'technically' was built on top of that with the ordinary English ending '-ly', and it gradually picked up its modern flavour of 'strictly speaking, according to the precise rules'. The spelling trap lives in the join: the adjective already ends in '-al', so adding '-ly' produces a double 'l', and writers who forget the hidden '-al-' tend to drop one of them.

How the word is built

• techn- (from Greek tekhne: art, craft, skill)
• -ic (relating to)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)