The story
From most + -ly. The sense “probably” is a calque from Indian languages such as Tamil அனேகமாக (aṉēkamāka).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: Mainly or chiefly; for the most part; usually, generally, on the whole. Full definition →
From most + -ly. The sense “probably” is a calque from Indian languages such as Tamil அனேகமாக (aṉēkamāka).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.