Quakily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner marked by tremors or quivers, often conveying unease or anxiety
2. With unsteady motions that suggest a lack of stability, usually associated with nervousness or fearfulness
3. Done with visible shakes or tremors, reflecting uncertainty or nervous energy

Etymology: "Quakily" is a plain formation: the adjective "quaky," meaning shaky or trembling, with the suffix "-ly" attached to turn it into an adverb. "Quaky" itself comes from "quake," which traces back through Old English and Germanic roots to an ancient Indo-European base, and the "-ly" ending descends from an old Germanic word for "body" or "form," which over time came to mark the manner of an action. The suffix's history is the more surprising part. The same ending that once meant "having the form of" a noun now simply signals how something is done, so "quakily" literally describes doing something in a quaky way. Few English adverbs make that connection so transparent, since the suffix has been attached to countless adjectives over the centuries.

Synonyms: unsteadily, nervously

Antonyms: steadily