Basely

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a dishonorable, shameful, or morally corrupt manner
2. In a manner that reflects a lack of honor or morality
3. Done in a way that shows a lack of decency or integrity

Etymology: "Basely" is simply "base" with the adverb-forming suffix "-ly" added, and the suffix is the older and more transparent piece. The "-ly" ending descends from an Old English word meaning "body" or "form" (its ancestor "-līc" meant "having the appearance or form of"), so "basely" literally means "in the manner of a base thing." The sense of that "-ly" ending is the same one that gives us "manly" and "friendly." The base itself has a more tangled past. It came into English in the Middle English period from Old French "bas," meaning low, and that word traces back to Late Latin "bassus," meaning short or thick. Some of the Old French and Latin roots may themselves have borrowed from Celtic or Oscan, but those links are uncertain, so the clearest line runs through French. The original sense was physical: a base was something low in position or height, and only later did "low" stretch to mean low in rank, status, and finally character.

Synonyms: vilely, wickedly, cruelly, shamefully, immorally

Antonyms: nobly, honorably, righteously, virtuously, ethically