Fathomlessly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that exceeds normal understanding and measurement To such a degree that it is completely beyond human comprehension In a way that is profoundly unfathomable and inscrutable in nature
2. In a way that cannot be fully grasped or measured by the mind
3. To an extent that defies any possible understanding or calculation

Etymology: Fathomlessly is a plain build: the adjective "fathomless" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached. The adjective itself is the more interesting part. A "fathom" was originally a measure of length, roughly the span of a man's outstretched arms, used by sailors for sounding the depth of water. Something "fathomless" was therefore a sea too deep to measure with a sounding line, and the word later moved from that literal sense to anything beyond understanding. The adverb carries the same move one step further. Where "fathomless" describes a depth or a mind, "fathomlessly" describes the manner in which something is deep, inexplicable or beyond reach, as in a question answered fathomlessly or a silence that stretches fathomlessly. The suffix does nothing new here; the sense comes entirely from the nautical measure underneath.

Synonyms: immeasurably, incomprehensibly

Antonyms: shallowly