discouragingly
Meaning
in a way that causes someone to lose confidence or enthusiasm
in a way that tries to persuade someone not to do something
Structure
Usage
the exam results were discouragingly low for the entire class.
she looked at him discouragingly when he suggested another risky plan.
progress on the project has been discouragingly slow.
Etymology
the word 'discouragingly' is built upon the verb 'discourage', which entered english from middle french 'descourager'. this french term combined the latin prefix 'dis-' (expressing reversal or removal) with 'courage', derived from latin 'cor' (heart), the seat of feeling and spirit. thus, the literal sense is "to deprive of heart or spirit". the adverbial form 'discouragingly' developed in english by adding the productive suffix '-ly' to the present participle 'discouraging', creating a word that describes an action done in a manner that disheartens or deters. the journey from the concrete anatomical concept of 'heart' to the abstract quality of 'bravery', and further to an adverb describing the manner of its removal, showcases the layered semantic evolution typical of english vocabulary.
Analysis
dis- (latin origin, a prefix meaning 'apart', 'away', or having a reversing force); courage (french/latin origin, from 'cor' meaning 'heart', the core element denoting bravery or spirit); -ingly (english origin, a compound suffix formed from '-ing' (present participle/gerund) + '-ly' (adverb-forming suffix)).