frightfully

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English frightful

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-Germanic *-ê

Proto-Germanic *-līkê

Proto-West Germanic *-līkē

Old English -līċe

Middle English -ly

English -ly

English frightfully

From frightful + -ly.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹaɪtfəli/, /ˈfɹaɪtfli/, /-ɪ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹaɪtfəli/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtfəli

Adverb

frightfully (comparative more frightfully, superlative most frightfully)

1. In a frightful manner.
2. (colloquial, UK, Commonwealth) Very, extremely.

   It all went frightfully quickly.

   • 1914, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados:

     Millicent married Creake after a very short engagement. It was a frightfully subdued wedding—more like a funeral to me.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 199:

     "Really!" he said, collapsing into lassitude. "It's too frightfully hot for singing."

Translations

In a frightful manner

• Esperanto: timige