fairly
Part of speech: adv
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: manner
Etymology: From Middle English fayrly, fayrely, vayrliche, equivalent to fair + -ly.
Base: fair
Affixes: -ly
Inflected forms:
form: more fairly
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: fairlier
pos: adv
tags: archaic
comparative
rare
form: most fairly
pos: adv
tags: superlative
form: fairliest
pos: adv
tags: archaic
rare
superlative
Senses:
gloss: In a fair manner; fair; not biased or skewed or favouring a certain party
pos: adv
examples: A jury is expected to ensure that the accused is fairly judged.
gloss: Favorably; auspiciously; commodiously.
pos: adv
examples: a town fairly situated for foreign trade
gloss: Honestly; properly.
pos: adv
examples: Consumer laws aim to have consumers fairly treated.
10. You will be civil and attentive to passengers, giving proper assistance to ladies and children getting in or out, and never start the car before passengers are fairly received or landed.
They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.[…].
gloss: Softly; quietly; gently.
pos: adv
gloss: Partly, not fully; somewhat.
pos: adv
examples: The weather this weekend will be fairly dry.
My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.
The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices). It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber.
gloss: Almost; practically.
pos: adv
tags: dated
examples: We quadrilled, waltzed, and conversed, in all of which my clever partner excelled; and her charms, combined with the excellent champagne I imbibed, fairly dazzled my imagination.
Betty grew so nervous and frightened, that she fairly bawled to her colleague, Moggy, and told her she would not stay in the room unless she sat up all night with her.
I remember the sudden drop in the note of the station bell, as we roar through, perhaps with 16 coaches; sweep up to milepost 9½, and then, with increasing thunder from the exhaust, fairly rush the fells at Milnthorpe at the foot of the climb to Grayrigg, until the steady thunderous beat re-echoes past Mosedale Hall, still at 40 m.p.h.
gloss: Of handwriting: neatly and legibly.
pos: adv
tags: archaic
examples: That Pen, which now writes blottingly, might be well made at first, and will write fairly again […]
I was at the Mathematical School, where the Maſter taught his Pupils after a Method ſcarce imaginable to us in Europe. The Propoſition and Demonſtration were fairly written on a thin Wafer, with Ink compoſed of a Cephalick Tincture. This the Student was to ſwallow upon a faſting Stomach, and for three days following eat nothing but Bread and Water. As the Wafer digeſted, the Tincture mounted to his Brain, bearing the Propoſition along with it.
Derived words: fairly and squarely
Translations: