Primally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a fashion that emphasizes the core essence of an entity
2. In a manner that relates to the most basic, original, or fundamental aspect of something
3. Done or considered at the most essential and inherent level without added complexity

Etymology: "Primally" is a plain formation: the adjective "primal" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added to it. "Primal" itself comes ultimately from Latin "primus," meaning "first," and it reached English through the Latin-derived adjective "primalis." The suffix "-ly" is the old Germanic ending that turns an adjective into an adverb, so "primally" describes doing something in the manner of what is first, original or fundamental. The sense of the adjective "primal" has moved from "first in time or order" toward "essential, basic, close to the core of something." That is the shift the adverb carries: acting or existing in a way that strips away surface layers to reach the foundational nature of a thing. Because the word is a straightforward suffixed form, its history is largely that of its base, and the meaning follows directly from the adjective.

Synonyms: fundamentally, essentially