Preternaturally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that surpasses what is natural or normal, exceeding the bounds of ordinary experience or explanation
2. In a manner that is beyond what is normally possible or expected, suggesting an extraordinary or supernatural quality
3. Describing actions or events that go beyond natural laws or common experience, indicating something exceptional or unexplainable

Etymology: "Preternaturally" is simply "preternatural" with the adverbial ending "-ly" added. The ending traces back a long way: it descends from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," which later became the Old English "-līċe," meaning "in the manner of," and eventually shrank to the Middle English and modern "-ly." So the suffix that turns adjectives into adverbs is, at root, a noun about shape or appearance. The base word, "preternatural," is formed from the Latin prefix "praeter-," meaning "beyond," and "natural." Its literal sense is "beyond nature," which is why the adverb carries the idea of something exceeding what nature ordinarily allows. Writers in English have used the adjective for centuries to describe the uncanny or supernatural, and the adverb follows that same pattern, describing how something happens rather than what it is.

Synonyms: unnaturally, supernaturally

Antonyms: naturally