murderously
Meaning
in a way that is extremely violent or seems intended to kill
(informal) to an extreme or intense degree
Structure
Usage
he glared murderously at his rival across the room.
the summer heat was murderously intense.
the critic reviewed the play murderously, leaving no praise for the production.
Etymology
the word 'murderously' is built upon the old english noun 'morðor', which denoted a secret or unlawful killing. this term is of germanic origin, related to old high german 'mord' and ultimately from the proto-indo-european root 'mer-', meaning 'to die'. the adjective-forming suffix '-ous', of latin origin via french, was attached to create 'murderous', meaning 'characterized by or intent on murder'. finally, the native english adverbial suffix '-ly' was added, transforming it into an adverb that describes an action done in a manner full of lethal intent or, by extension, with extreme intensity.
Analysis
- murder: from old english 'morðor', meaning secret killing, murder; functions as the core noun/verb root. - ous: from latin '-osus', meaning full of, characterized by; functions as a suffix forming adjectives. - ly: from old english '-lice', meaning like, having the qualities of; functions as a suffix forming adverbs from adjectives.