Etymology

soundly

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Today it means: In a thorough manner; in manner free of defect or deficiency. Full definition →

Middle English soundly ← Old English ġesundlīċe
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The story

  1. Old English · inherited fromġesundlīċe“safely, prosperously, gladly”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromsoundly
  3. English todaysoundly

From Middle English soundly, soundely, from Old English ġesundlīċe (“safely, prosperously, gladly”), equivalent to sound + -ly. Originally meaning "safely", the present sense came in the 16ᵗʰ century.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.