optionally
Meaning
In a way that is available to be chosen but is not obligatory.
Structure
Usage
The software features can be installed optionally.
You can optionally add a signature to the end of your email.
Payment is made optionally in cash or by credit card.
Etymology
The word "optionally" is built upon the Latin root optio, meaning "choice" or "the power of choosing," which itself derives from the verb optare, "to desire or choose." The suffix -al transforms the noun "option" into the adjective "optional," describing something that involves or permits a choice. Finally, the Old English adverbial suffix -ly is appended to form "optionally," specifying the manner of an action as being done by choice rather than by requirement. Thus, the term's evolution from a Latin concept of desire and selection to a modern grammatical modifier perfectly encapsulates its meaning: performing an action in a way that is subject to one's discretion.
Analysis
- option: From Latin optio (choice, free will), from optare (to choose, desire). The core morpheme indicating the concept of choice. - al: A suffix of Latin origin used to form adjectives meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by" (e.g., personal, national). - ly: A suffix of Old English origin (-līc) used to form adverbs from adjectives, meaning "in a specified manner".