civilly
UK[ˈsɪv.əl.i]US[ˈsɪv.əl.i]
adv
in a polite and reasonable way, especially in a difficult situation.
adv
in a way that relates to ordinary citizens or to civil law rather than criminal law.
Morpheme Breakdown
civil
ly
civil
citizen
ly
adverb suffix
Etymology
the adverb 'civilly' is built upon the adjective 'civil', which traces its lineage to the latin civilis, meaning 'pertaining to a citizen'. this, in turn, derives from civis, denoting a member of a community or city-state. the core semantic thread from antiquity to modern usage connects the status and conduct expected of a citizen—specifically, one who is orderly, polite, and respectful within society—to the modern adverbial sense of behaving in a courteous and reasonable manner. the suffix '-ly', of germanic origin, is a productive adverbial marker in english, routinely attached to adjectives to form adverbs describing manner.
Analysis
Structure: civil (citizen) + ly (adverb suffix)
civil (from latin civilis, meaning 'of a citizen', from civis 'citizen'); ly (from old english -līce, an adverbial suffix).
Examples
although they disagreed strongly, they managed to discuss the issue civilly.
the neighbor asked civilly if we could keep the noise down after midnight.
the dispute was resolved civilly through a mediation process, not in criminal court.