Clemently

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a gentle and merciful way, showing leniency and kindness when judging or punishing
2. Describes acting with compassion and softness, often tempering strictness or severity
3. Characterizes behavior that is forgiving and mild, avoiding harshness or cruelty

Etymology: "Clemently" is simply "clement" with the adverb-forming ending "-ly" added. "Clement" came into English from Latin "clemens", meaning mild, merciful or gentle, and the English adjective kept that sense of mercy and mildness. The ending "-ly" has an older history of its own: it descends from an Old English form "-līċe", which was itself built on the word for "body" or "form" and was used to turn adjectives into adverbs, so that a word like "gentle" could become "gently." The suffix was joined to many adjectives in the same way, and the "-ly" form survived through Middle English into modern English. Adding "-ly" to "clement" creates an adverb meaning "in a clement manner," so the result describes an action performed with gentle mercy. Its meaning follows directly from the adjective it is built on rather than from any separate history of its own.

Synonyms: mildly, gently, mercifully, leniently, tenderly

Antonyms: harshly, severely, strictly, cruelly, brutally