Blisfulliche

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner marked by deep, serene happiness, as when someone feels complete contentment
2. Joyfully and with a profound sense of peaceful delight, showing an overwhelming inner gladness
3. With great contentment and gladness, in the way a person feels when fully at peace with the world

Etymology: "Blisfulliche" is Middle English, the adverb of "blisful," meaning "full of bliss." It was formed by adding the suffix "-ly" in its Middle English form "-liche" to "blisful," which itself came from the noun "blis" (joy, happiness) plus the suffix "-ful." The Old English ancestor of "blis" was "blis" or "bliss," and it was joined in Middle English by "blisful" as a native formation, so the chain of parts is English all the way down rather than borrowed from another language. The adverb form belongs to Middle English, when adverbs were commonly built by attaching "-liche" (later "-ly") to adjectives. Its meaning follows its parts directly: "in a blissful manner," joyfully and with deep, quiet delight. The spelling "blisfulliche" shows the Middle English stage of the word, where the adjective-plus-suffix construction was still visible. Modern English keeps the same parts in "blissfully," which replaced the older spelling and form.