Breathily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that conveys a soft, airy quality in sound or speech while suggesting a delicate or gentle atmosphere
2. In a way that produces a faint, whisper-like sound by allowing air to escape subtly during speaking or singing
3. Characterized by emitting a gentle flow of breath that blends with the voice to create a delicate effect

Etymology: "Breathily" is a plain derivative: it is formed from "breathy" with the suffix "-ly," which turns an adjective into an adverb meaning "in the manner of." So "breathily" describes doing something in a breathy way, such as speaking in a whisper. The adjective "breathy" is itself built from the noun "breath" plus "-y," a suffix that gives the sense "characterized by." "Breath" traces back to Old English "bræð," meaning "exhalation" or "odor," and the same root carries a sense of smell and vapour that runs through the family of words around it. The "-ly" ending has a longer ancestry. It descends from Old English "-līċe," which comes from the noun "līc," meaning "body" or "form," and once served to build adverbs of manner, so that "breathily" literally means "in a body-like-breath way." Over the centuries the ending grew so common that English speakers now attach it to almost any adjective without thinking about it.

Synonyms: gaspingly, whisperingly