emotionally
UK[ɪˈməʊʃənəli]US[ɪˈmoʊʃənəli]
adv
in a way that relates to a person's emotions or feelings
adv
in a way that shows strong feelings, often in an uncontrolled way
Morpheme Breakdown
emotion
al
ly
emotion
feeling
al
adjective suffix
ly
adverb suffix
Etymology
the word 'emotionally' is built upon the latin verb emovere, meaning 'to move out, stir up, agitate'. this literal sense of physical movement was metaphorically extended to the internal stirring of feelings. the noun 'emotion' was formed from this verb, capturing the concept of a moved or agitated state of mind. the addition of the suffix '-al' created the adjective 'emotional', describing things pertaining to these stirred feelings. finally, the old english adverbial suffix '-ly' was appended, producing 'emotionally', which describes actions performed in a manner connected to or characterized by strong feelings. thus, the word's journey encapsulates the conceptual shift from external, physical motion to internal, psychological experience.
Analysis
Structure: emotion (feeling) + al (adjective suffix) + ly (adverb suffix)
emotion: from latin emotio (a moving, agitation), from emovere (to move out, stir up), combining e- (out) + movere (to move). functions as the core noun root.
al: from latin -alis, an adjective-forming suffix. functions to convert the noun 'emotion' into the adjective 'emotional'.
ly: from old english -līce, an adverb-forming suffix. functions to convert the adjective 'emotional' into the adverb 'emotionally'.
Examples
she was emotionally drained after the long and difficult conversation.
he responded emotionally to the film, shedding tears during the poignant scenes.
it is important to support children emotionally as well as physically.