different between nimbly vs gingerly

English

Etymology

nimble +? -ly

Adverb

nimbly (comparative more nimbly, superlative most nimbly)

1. in a nimble manner

Translations

English

Etymology 1

From ginger +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d??nd???li/

Adverb

gingerly (comparative more gingerly, superlative most gingerly)

1. In a delicate and cautious manner.

Translations

Etymology 2

ginger +? -ly

Adjective

gingerly (comparative more gingerly, superlative most gingerly)

1. Very careful or cautious.
   • 1867, Rebecca Harding Davis, Waiting For The Verdict, chapter 19 “The Valley of the Shadow”, published 1868 in The Galaxy magazine, volume 4, page 223:

     But, ther’s somethin’ in the very look and voice of Jeems Strebling, even in his gingerly walk, that riles all the black drop in me.

   • 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, chapter 45:

     […] penetrating cautiously into dark cellars, sallying forth with gingerly tread to the garden, now leaf-strewn by autumn winds […]

   • 1961, March, Trains Illustrated, Ian Allan Ltd., page 185, photo caption:

   • 2012, David Mack, Star Trek: The Next Generation — Cold Equations Book One: Persistence of Memory, chapter 28:

     Several gingerly taps on her console fired clusters of modified probes into the maelstrom of the gas giant’s atmosphere.

Derived terms

• gingerliness

Anagrams

• niggerly