Cheaply

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃiːpli/

Definitions

1. In a way that costs very little money or is of low quality
2. In an economical manner that often implies inferior quality or lack of value
3. Done in a manner that minimizes expenses, possibly at the cost of craftsmanship or standards

Etymology: "Cheaply" is about as plain as English etymology gets: it is simply "cheap" with the adverb-forming suffix "-ly" attached. The more interesting story lies in the suffix and the base. "Cheap" comes from Old English "ċēap", meaning a bargain or price, and its ancestry runs back to Proto-Germanic roots that also gave the sense of barter and trade. The "-ly" ending has a longer pedigree than most readers expect: it descends from an old word meaning "body" or "form," so that "cheaply" was originally something like "in the manner of a bargain." The suffix took its present shape gradually. Old English "-līċe" was an adverb ending attached to adjectives to mean "in the manner of," and it weakened over the Middle English period into "-ly." Because this ending was productive, English speakers could attach it to almost any adjective, which is why "cheaply" sits comfortably beside countless other adverbs formed the same way.

Synonyms: inexpensively, affordably, economically, reasonably, bargainly

Antonyms: expensively, costly, dearly, lavishly, luxuriously