illegally
UK[ɪˈliːɡəli]US[ɪˈliːɡəli]
adv
in a way that is contrary to or forbidden by law
adv
in a way that is not authorized by the rules of a sport or game
Morpheme Breakdown
il
legal
ly
il
not
legal
law
ly
adverb suffix
Etymology
the word 'illegally' is built upon the adjective 'illegal', which entered english in the late 15th century from medieval latin 'illegalis'. this latin term itself is a compound of the negative prefix 'in-' (meaning 'not'), which assimilated to 'il-' before the root 'legalis' (pertaining to the law, from 'lex', 'legis' meaning 'law'). the english adverbial suffix '-ly', of germanic origin, was then appended to form the adverb. thus, the word's literal construction follows a clear logical path: 'not' + 'pertaining to law' + 'in the manner of', perfectly capturing its modern meaning of acting in a manner contrary to established law.
Analysis
Structure: il (not) + legal (law) + ly (adverb suffix)
il- (latin origin, a variant of 'in-' meaning 'not', assimilated before 'l'), legal (from latin 'legalis', from 'lex' meaning 'law'), -ly (old english suffix, forming adverbs from adjectives).
Examples
the company was fined for dumping waste illegally.
he entered the country illegally without a valid visa.
the goal was disallowed because the player handled the ball illegally.