Stubbily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that is short, thick and squat, like something dumpy or stocky in appearance
2. Describing something done or shaped in a stubby, chunky, low-to-the-ground fashion
3. With a short, blunt, thickset look, as when an object or a person appears squat and compact

Etymology: "Stubbily" is simply "stubby" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so it means "in a stubby manner." "Stubby" itself is an adjective describing something short and thick, such as a finger or a squat bottle, and the suffix "-ly" turns that description into a manner of doing something, as in "the cat's legs moved stubbily across the floor." The useful lesson here is how English builds adverbs. Adding "-ly" to an adjective is one of the most productive patterns in the language, and it lets speakers describe a manner of action from almost any descriptive adjective. Because "stubby" already carries a clear physical picture of shortness and thickness, "stubbily" inherits that picture directly, with no change in meaning beyond the shift from quality to manner.

Synonyms: stockily, squatly

Antonyms: slimly, slenderly