lovely
Meaning
very attractive or beautiful
very pleasant or enjoyable
Structure
Usage
she has a lovely singing voice.
we had a lovely time at the beach yesterday.
thank you for the lovely flowers.
Etymology
the word 'lovely' is a classic example of an english adjective formed by adding the productive suffix '-ly' to a noun. the old english root 'lufu' (love) combined with the adjectival suffix '-lic' (body, form, like) originally meant 'lovable' or 'worthy of love'. over time, the semantic range broadened from describing a person's amiable character to encompassing general attractiveness and, by extension, anything that gives great pleasure or delight. this evolution reflects a shift from an internal quality of being full of love to an external aesthetic quality that inspires fondness.
Analysis
'love' is from old english 'lufu' (noun: love, affection), of germanic origin. 'ly' is an old english suffix '-lic', from proto-germanic '-liko-', used to form adjectives meaning 'having the qualities of'.