Identifiably

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner which makes an object or individual easily distinguishable from others
2. Performed in a manner that enables clear recognition or differentiation from others
3. Done so that the features or characteristics stand out enough to be noticed distinctly

Etymology: "Identifiably" is simply "identifiable" with the adverbial ending "-ly" added, and its history is the history of two suffixes working in sequence. The first, "-able," came into English through Old French from Latin "-abilis," a suffix meaning "capable of being" that attached to verbs, so that "identify" plus "-able" yields something that can be recognized. English has used this suffix since the Middle English period, when it was borrowed in its French form. The second suffix has a longer ancestry. The "-ly" ending descends from Old English "-līċe," itself rooted in the Proto-Germanic "-līkaz," which meant "having the form or appearance of" and is related to the word "like." In Old English, adding "-līċe" to an adjective turned it into an adverb describing the manner in which something happens. Over the Middle English period it was reduced to "-ly," and it now attaches to adjectives across the language, which is why "identifiable" becomes "identifiably" in the sense of "in a noticeable fashion."

Synonyms: distinctively, recognizably

Antonyms: unidentifiably