Definition of "-ly" [-ly]

• Like; resembling; having the characteristics of: sisterly. (suffix)
• Recurring at a specified interval of time: hourly. (suffix)
• In a specified manner; in the manner of: gradually. (suffix)
• At a specified interval of time: weekly. (suffix)
• With respect to: partly. (suffix)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The principle of using a hyphen to avoid confusion explains why no hyphen is required with very and with -ly adverbs."
• "If you never ponder how language works, you come to view an adverb as a word that ends in “-ly.”"
• "On the stump and in press conferences, the former speaker of the House has a penchant for seasoning his speech with words that end in -ly."