namely

1. 1
   adverb

   Used to introduce a precise identification of what was just mentioned; that is to say.

   She speaks three languages, namely French, German, and Japanese.

   Only one student passed the exam, namely the boy who studied all summer.

   Similarspecifically

   Note

   A word built from name and -ly, with close cousins across the Germanic languages: German nämlich, Dutch namelijk, Danish nemlig, Swedish nämligen. It promises to name things outright, so what follows should be the exact item or the full list. It usually comes after a comma or dash (some of the students — namely Paul, Alice and Jake). Baroness Orczy, around 1904, also puts a comma after it: "namely, William."

2. 2
   adjective

   Widely known and highly regarded; distinguished, famous, or notable.

   Similarfamous, notable, distinguished, renowned

   Oppositeobscure, unknown

   Note

   An adjective made from name and -ly, where name means a reputation: someone namely has made a name. It compares as an ordinary adjective does, either as more and most namely or as namelier and nameliest. Thomas Ratcliffe Barnett's The Makers of the Kirk (1915) says there was "no namelier king in Scotland" for building churches and founding burghs.

3. 3
   adverbarchaic

   To a greater degree than any of the others mentioned; especially, above all.

   Note

   Here the word ranks instead of identifying. It picks out the chief case among several, much as especially does. Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur (1485) has a knight cherished by the king and queen "and namely with la beale Isoud." The use is now rare and archaic. In a modern sentence a reader would take namely as the "that is to say" meaning, so write especially instead.

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