different between mainly vs primally

English

Etymology

From Middle English maynly; equivalent to main +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?me?nli/

Adverb

mainly (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Forcefully, vigorously. [13th-17th c.]
2. (obsolete) Of the production of a sound: loudly, powerfully. [14th-19th c.]
3. (obsolete) To a great degree; very much. [15th-19th c.]
4. Chiefly; for the most part. [from 17th c.]

Synonyms

• (forcefully): energetically, powerfully, strongly
• (loudly): earsplittingly, lustily, raucously, thunderously
• (to a great degree): a lot, extremely
• (for the most part): in the main, principally; see also Thesaurus:mostly

Translations

See also

• amain

Anagrams

• Milyan, aminyl, amylin

Middle English

Adverb

mainly

1. Alternative form of maynly

English

Etymology

primal +? -ly

Adverb

primally (comparative more primally, superlative most primally)

1. in a primal manner
   • 1931, H. P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness Chapter 9

     As we stepped out into the awesome half-daylight of this monstrous cylinder-bottom—fifty million years old, and without doubt the most primally ancient structure ever to meet our eyes—we saw that the ramp-traversed sides stretched dizzily up to a height of fully sixty feet.

   • 1909, Percival Lowell, The Evolution of Worlds

     The discrepancy is striking and cannot be explained by size, as the smallest are the most massive, and if all were primally of like constitution, should be the least compressed.