Pleasurably

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Executed in a fashion that elicits enjoyment or delight while partaking in an experience
2. In a way that causes feelings of satisfaction and happiness during an activity
3. Performed so as to bring delight or positive sensations to the person involved

Etymology: "Pleasurably" is simply "pleasurable" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, and the two parts have quite different histories. "Pleasure" arrived in English from Old French "plaisir," which in turn came from Latin "placere," meaning "to please," and that Latin root is also the source of "placid" and "complacent." The adjective "pleasurable" was formed in English by adding the suffix "-able" to "pleasure," a pattern that goes back to Latin "-bilis" and that Middle English borrowed through Old French. The ending "-ly" has a much older lineage. It descends from Old English "-līċe," itself rooted in "-līc," meaning "having the form or appearance of," the same sense that gives English "godly" and "lovely" their meanings. Over the centuries "-līċe" wore down to "-ly," and attaching it to an adjective turns the adjective into a description of how something is done. So "pleasurably" describes an action carried out in a way that feels good.

Synonyms: enjoyably, delightfully, satisfactorily, happily

Antonyms: unpleasantly, disagreeably