Wooingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. The process of gaining someone's affection or support often through charm, flattery, or persuasive behavior involves strategic and enticing actions
2. Engaging in efforts to attract or win over another's admiration frequently relies on charm, seduction, and deliberate attempts at persuasion
3. The act of attempting to earn someone's love or approval typically involves charming behavior, persuasive gestures, and alluring tactics

Etymology: "Wooingly" is simply "wooing" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so it describes doing something in the manner of a wooer. "Wooing" is the present participle of "woo," an Old English verb meaning to court or seek a lover's favour, which later took on the sense of trying to win someone over in any way, such as by persuasion or flattery. Adding "-ly" turns that activity into a description of how something is done. The result is a word that carries the courtship idea into everyday description: a voice, a smile or an offer can be said to be made wooingly, meaning in a way meant to charm and attract. Because the word is built transparently from familiar parts, its meaning follows directly from the verb it comes from.