Rankly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Characterized by a strong or unpleasant odor; marked by an overwhelming or extreme quality, often in a disdainful or offensive manner; suggesting something that is conspicuously bad or unsightly in appearance or mannerism
2. Describing something that emits a foul smell; representing an intense and often distasteful nature or characteristic; indicating a flagrant lack of refinement or elegance
3. Signifying a strong, noxious scent or flavor; embodying an excessive or outrageous trait that provokes disapproval; conveying a sense of something grossly objectionable or unrefined

Etymology: Old English "ranclīċe" meant "showily" or "boldly," and it had nothing to do with smell or bad taste. The modern sense of the word, a noxious odour or an offensive quality, is a later development, so the adverb has travelled a long way from its earliest meaning. Its root is "rank," which in Old English meant "proud," "strong," or "vigorous," and it survives in the same family of words that ran from vigour toward excess. The ending "-ly" is the ordinary English adverb suffix, so the word is simply "rank" with that suffix attached. Cognates in Icelandic, "rakklega," meaning "boldly" or "valiantly," preserve the older sense of daring and vigour that the English form has largely lost. Middle English spellings such as "rankli" and "ronkly" show the word already in use in that period, before the disapproving sense took hold.

Synonyms: coarsely, crudely

Antonyms: gently, subtly