# purely

Pronunciation: US say "PYUUR-lee" /ˈpjʊɹli/; UK say "PYAW-lee" /ˈpjɔːli/

## Adverb

1. Only and nothing besides; merely or simply.
   - Simple: Only that and nothing else.
   - _His interest in the deal was purely financial._
   - _They ran into each other purely by chance at the airport._
2. Completely or wholly; really, to the full extent. *(dialectal, US)*
   - Simple: Completely or totally.
   - _By the end of the harvest the whole family was purely exhausted._
   - _He was purely tickled to win first prize at the county fair._
3. In a chaste and innocent way; without sin or fault.
   - Simple: In an innocent and sinless way.
   - _The monks vowed to live purely, free from sin and worldly desire._
   - _He resolved to love her purely, without any selfish intent._

## Adjective

4. In good health; feeling well. *(dialectal)*
   - Simple: Feeling well and in good health.
   - _He wasn't purely all winter, but the spring air soon revived him._
   - _After weeks confined to bed, she finally seemed purely once more._

## Adverb

5. Without any physical impurities; in a refined state with nothing else mixed in. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: In a clean way, with nothing else mixed in.
   - _The metal was refined so purely that the assayer found no trace of dross._
   - _Only the spirit distilled most purely was set aside for the apothecary._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5** — From Middle English purely, equivalent to pure combined with the suffix -ly.
**Meaning 4** — Formed from pure combined with the suffix -ly.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/purely (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).