Lustfulliche

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner driven by strong sexual desire or craving, as used in archaic or Middle English writing
2. Done in a way that shows intense longing or lust, in an old form of the word
3. With eager, passionate desire, especially of a sensual kind, in an archaic style

Etymology: "Lustfulliche" is a Middle English adverb, the older spelling of "lustfully," meaning in an eager, desiring, or joyful manner. Its ending comes from the Old English suffix "-lice," which turns an adjective into an adverb. That suffix is the same word as "lic," meaning body or form, and it is related to modern "like," so the adverb literally carried the sense of "in the manner of" a quality. The root "lust" is older and broader than its modern meaning. In Old English, "lust" meant pleasure, delight, or desire in a general sense, and an adjective built from it could describe something pleasant or eagerly wanted as well as a craving. The narrowing toward sexual appetite came later, so the adverb's first readers would not have heard the sense that dominates the word today.

Synonyms: lustfully, lecherously, lewdly

Antonyms: chastely