-ibly

English Alternative forms en -ably Etymology Euphonic en -ible -ly 1, due to difficulty of pronouncing *-iblely. Compare same sound change in unrelated en feebly, en nimbly, and en nobly. Suffix adverb-forming suffixes unproductive suffixes Used to form adverbs corresponding to adjectives that end in -ible. audible → audibly Usage notes As with en -ably, generally only used to form analogs to adjectives ending in en -ible, replacing the existing en -ible suffix (respectively en -able). Rather than a distinct suffix, this can be considered a class of euphonic blends of “-ble” and en -ly, as in en feebly, en nimbly, and en nobly, among others. Further, as with en -ible, generally unproductive as a suffix to existing English words – most words ending in en -ibly are derived from words ending in en -ible borrowed from Latin or Old/Middle French, not formed by suffixing in English. Productive uses in English include en digestibly. Derived terms en Anagrams en bily Bily