Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “purposively” come from?

purposively (English) comes from English purposive, from English purpose, from Middle English purposen, from Old French purposer, from Latin prōpōnere.

purposively (English): In a purposive manner

Definitions

  1. In a purposive manner

Ancestry of “purposively”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpurposiveServing a particular purpose; adapted to a given...
2EnglishpurposeAn objective to be reached; a target; an aim; a...
3Middle Englishpurposen—
4Old Frenchpurposerto propose; to make a proposition
5Latinprōpōnere—
Every word from Latin prōpōnere →