identically
UK[aɪˈden.tɪ.kəl.i]US[aɪˈden.t̬ɪ.kəl.i]
adv
In exactly the same way; in a manner that is identical.
Morpheme Breakdown
identic
ally
identic
identical
ally
adverb suffix
Etymology
The word 'identically' is built upon the core concept of 'sameness'. Its journey begins with the Latin pronoun idem, meaning 'the same', which evolved into the Late Latin adjective identicus. This was adopted into English as 'identical', meaning 'exactly alike'. The adverbial form is created by appending the suffix '-ally', a common English adverbial suffix derived from Latin -aliter, which denotes 'in the manner of'. Thus, 'identically' literally means 'in a manner that is the same', perfectly capturing its modern usage to describe actions or states performed or existing without any difference.
Analysis
Structure: identic (identical) + ally (adverb suffix)
- identic: From Latin identicus (the same), from idem (the same).
- ally: A suffix forming adverbs from adjectives, from Latin -aliter (in the manner of).
Examples
The twins were dressed identically for the party.
The two experiments were conducted identically to ensure comparable results.
The software clones the data identically, bit for bit.