Respectively

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈspɛktɪvli/

Definitions

1. In the order given or mentioned, with each item corresponding to the one before it in a list or sequence
2. In the specified sequence or arrangement, each item aligns to the one named previously in a series
3. Pertaining to the specific order as previously indicated, where each element associates directly with its counterpart

Etymology: "Respectively" is simply "respective" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached, and "respective" itself comes from a Latin word meaning "looking back" or "regarding." The suffix has a longer ancestry than the base: "-ly" descends from an Old English "-līċe," which goes back through Proto-Germanic forms built on a root meaning "body" or "form," so the ending once carried the sense of "in the manner of" that it still has in words like "quickly." The sense of "respectively" is the one that matters here. Because "respective" means "belonging to each of several people or things, considered separately," adding "-ly" produces an adverb that tells you each item is matched with its own counterpart, in the order given. A sentence like "the red, blue and green boxes hold 1, 2 and 3 apples, respectively" depends on that pairing, which is why the word is so useful for listing correspondences.

Synonyms: in turn, correspondingly, in that order