Regularly

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛɡjʊləli/

Definitions

1. Happening or done at consistent intervals or on a repeated, predictable basis
2. Taking place at uniform intervals or happening consistently over time in a predictable manner
3. Happening repeatedly in a steady and predictable pattern without interruption

Etymology: "Regularly" is a plain English construction: the adjective "regular" with the suffix "-ly" attached. The adjective came into English from Anglo-Norman "reguler" and Middle English "reguler," both drawn from Latin "rēgulāris," which means "pertaining to a rule" (in turn built on "rēgula," a straight rod or ruler, from "rēgere," to guide or rule). So the notion of a ruler, a straight edge used to keep lines true, sits at the bottom of the word's ancestry: something regular is something kept in line. The adverb follows the native English pattern. The suffix "-ly" comes from Old English "-līċe," which was itself a formation on the Germanic "līk," meaning "body" or "form," and is related to the word "like." Attaching "-ly" to an adjective to create an adverb was a routine process in Old and Middle English, so "regularly" describes an action done in the manner of something regular: at fixed, recurring intervals.

Synonyms: frequently, consistently, habitually

Antonyms: irregularly, sporadically