the adverb 'tidily' is built upon its adjective root 'tidy'. the word 'tidy' originated in middle english from 'tidy' or 'tidi', meaning 'timely, seasonable, excellent'. this sense of excellence and being in good time evolved into the modern meaning of 'neat and orderly'. the adverbial suffix '-ly', of old english and germanic origin, is then appended to form 'tidily', which literally means 'in a tidy manner'. the journey from a concept of timeliness to one of neatness illustrates how the valuation of being well-timed or proper transformed into an appreciation for physical orderliness.

Structure: tid (neat) + i (connective) + ly (adverb suffix) tid (from middle english 'tidy', meaning timely, excellent, neat; of old english origin, related to 'tīd' meaning time). i (a connective vowel with no independent meaning, used for euphony). ly (a productive old english adverbial suffix, from proto-germanic -līko).