strangely
strangely
UK[ˈstreɪndʒli]US[ˈstreɪndʒli]
adv
in an unusual or surprising way
adv
used to say that something is surprising
Morpheme Breakdown
strange
ly
strange
foreign, unfamiliar
ly
adverb-forming suffix
Etymology
the adverb "strangely" is built upon the adjective "strange," which entered english via old french from the latin "extraneus," meaning "external" or "foreign." this latin term itself derives from "extra," meaning "outside." the core semantic journey moved from the literal "from outside" to the figurative "unfamiliar," and finally to the modern sense of "odd or surprising." the addition of the old english adverbial suffix "-ly" systematically transforms this quality of being unusual into the manner of its occurrence, completing the word's logical formation.
Analysis
Structure: strange (foreign, unfamiliar) + ly (adverb-forming suffix)
- strange: from old french 'estrange', from latin 'extraneus' meaning "external, foreign". functions as the core adjective.
- ly: from old english '-līċe', an adverbial suffix. functions as a derivational suffix converting an adjective to an adverb.
Examples
he was behaving strangely at the party.
strangely enough, i had been thinking the exact same thing.
the machine made a strangely familiar noise.