Contractually

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that is connected to the legal obligations specified in agreements
2. In a manner that involves the enforceable terms outlined in a formal contract
3. Done in compliance with the legally binding commitments set out in a contract

Etymology: "Contractually" is a plain suffixed formation: the adjective "contractual" with the adverb ending "-ly" added to it. The adjective itself comes from "contract," which in English traces back through Latin "contractus," the past participle of "contrahere," meaning "to draw together." The sense of a binding agreement grew out of that image of two parties being drawn together into a deal. The ending is the older and more interesting part. The suffix "-ly" descends from Old English "-līce," which was a form of the adjective "līc," meaning "body" or "form," so an adverb like "-līce" literally described acting in the manner or appearance of something. Over the Middle English period it wore down to "-ly," and it now attaches freely to adjectives across the language.

Synonyms: legally, formally