interestingly
UK[ˈɪntrəstɪŋli]US[ˈɪntrəstɪŋli]
adv
Used to introduce a piece of information that is surprising or that you want to emphasize.
Morpheme Breakdown
interest
ing
ly
interest
to engage attention
ing
adjective suffix
ly
adverb suffix
Etymology
The adverb "interestingly" is built upon the foundation of the adjective "interesting," which itself derives from the verb "interest." The verb traces back to the Latin interesse, meaning "to be between, to make a difference, to concern," from inter- (between) and esse (to be). This evolved through Anglo-French into the English sense of engaging curiosity or attention. The addition of the "-ing" suffix transforms the verb into an adjective describing something that arouses such attention. Finally, the adverbial suffix "-ly," of Old English origin, is appended to modify the manner of an action, creating a word used to flag a following statement as worthy of notice or surprisingly engaging.
Analysis
Structure: interest (to engage attention) + ing (adjective suffix) + ly (adverb suffix)
- interest: From Latin interesse (to be between, to make a difference, to concern), via Anglo-French interesser. In this word, it functions as the core root conveying the sense of engaging attention.
- ing: A suffix of Germanic origin (Old English -ende, -ung) used to form present participles and adjectives from verbs.
- ly: A suffix of Germanic origin (Old English -līce) used to form adverbs from adjectives.
Examples
Interestingly, the study found no correlation between the two factors.
He spoke interestingly about his travels in remote regions.
Interestingly enough, they both arrived at the same conclusion independently.