Trimly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a neat, smart, and tidy way, with everything well arranged and in good order
2. Done in a compact, orderly fashion so that the appearance looks neat and well kept
3. Arranged or presented in a neat, spruce manner that gives a tidy, polished impression

Etymology: "Trimly" is about as plain as English adverbs get: it is the adjective "trim" with the suffix "-ly" attached. "Trim" itself traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning something like "to make firm or strong," and it reached English as a word for being in good order, neat and compact. The meaning of "in neat order" is simply the sense of "trim" carried over into the adverb. The suffix has a longer story than the word it sits on. The "-ly" ending descends from Proto-Germanic "-līkaz," a word meaning "body" or "form," which later came to mean "like" or "in the manner of." In Old English it appeared as "-līċe," and by Middle English it had shortened to "-ly." So "trimly" literally means "in the manner of something trim," a form built on a compact ending that has been shaping English adverbs for more than a thousand years.

Synonyms: neatly, tidily, snugly

Antonyms: untidily, sloppily