wholly
Meaning
completely or entirely
Structure
Usage
i am wholly committed to this project.
the plan was wholly unsuccessful.
she was wholly unaware of the changes.
Etymology
the word 'wholly' is a direct descendant from old english, formed by combining the adjective 'whole' with the adverbial suffix '-ly'. the root 'whole' originates from the old english 'hāl', which conveyed concepts of being uninjured, sound, and complete. this term is related to the germanic notion of health and integrity, as seen in modern german 'heil'. the suffix '-ly' evolved from the old english '-līċe', which was used to create adverbs from adjectives, indicating 'in a manner of'. therefore, 'wholly' literally means 'in a complete manner', preserving the core idea of totality from its ancient root while shifting from a physical state of soundness to a more abstract sense of completeness.
Analysis
whole (from old english 'hāl', meaning sound, healthy, entire; germanic origin). ly (from old english '-līċe', an adverbial suffix forming manner adverbs from adjectives).