delivery
UK[dɪˈlɪvəri]US[dɪˈlɪvəri]
n
The act of taking goods, letters, etc. to a particular person or place.
n
The process of giving birth to a baby.
n
The way in which someone speaks or performs in public.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
liver
y
de
completely, thoroughly, away
liver
to hand over, deliver
y
Etymology
The word 'delivery' has a journey of liberation at its core. It entered English in the 15th century from Anglo-French deliveré, which itself evolved from the Latin verb dēlīberāre, meaning "to set free, liberate". This Latin term is a compound of the intensive prefix dē- ("completely") and līberāre ("to free"), from līber ("free"). The original sense was thus "to free from, to release", which logically extended to the act of releasing or handing over goods or a child. Over time, the meaning specialized to its modern commercial, medical, and performative senses, all retaining the fundamental concept of a controlled transfer or release from one state or party to another.
Analysis
Structure: de + liver + y
- de: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "completely, thoroughly, away".
- liver: From Old French livrer, meaning "to hand over, deliver", derived from Latin liberare ("to free, release").
- y: A noun-forming suffix of Middle English origin, indicating an action, process, or result.
Examples
The company offers free delivery on orders over fifty dollars.
She had a difficult delivery but both mother and baby are now healthy.
The politician's confident delivery of the speech won over the audience.