Comparably

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /kɒmˈpæɹəbl̩i/

Definitions

1. In a fashion that facilitates an evaluation of parallels between different subjects based on shared attributes or levels
2. By means of a method that makes it possible to analyze how two or more items are similar, particularly in terms of specific qualities
3. In a manner that allows for the assessment of similarities or distinctions between entities based on comparable features or characteristics

Etymology: "Comparably" is simply "comparable" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so the story is really the story of its ending. The "-ly" comes from Old English "-līċe," a suffix that was itself built from "līc," meaning "body" or "form," and that was once a full, independent word. Attached to an adjective, it meant "in the manner of," so that a word like "comparably" originally carried the sense of "in a way that has the form of being comparable." Over the centuries the Old English form wore down to Middle English "-ly," and the suffix became so routine that it now marks almost any adjective as an adverb. "Comparable" itself comes from "compare," with the sense of "able to be compared." Taken together, "comparably" is an unremarkable chain of ordinary parts: a verb, a suffix that once meant "bodily form," and a sound change that made it short and everyday.

Synonyms: similarly, equally

Antonyms: dissimilarly