fleetingly

C2+ Topic:Time

US /ˈflitɪŋli/ UK /ˈfliːtɪŋli/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
for a very short time; briefly

Their eyes met fleetingly across the crowded hall.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · for a very short time; briefly briefly momentarily transiently ephemerally

Opposites

permanently enduringly lastingly

Word family

Related forms fleet fleeting fleetingness

Etymology

From fleeting (present participle of fleet, from Old English flēotan 'to glide') + the adverbial suffix -ly.

flēotan Old English

View etymology graph ->

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Time Word Formation & Derivatives

# fleetingly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** ˈflitɪŋli
**IPA (UK):** ˈfliːtɪŋli

## Meanings
1. for a very short time; briefly

## Examples
- Their eyes met fleetingly across the crowded hall.

## Synonyms
- briefly
- momentarily
- transiently
- ephemerally

## Antonyms
- permanently
- enduringly
- lastingly

## Related Forms
- fleet
- fleeting
- fleetingness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: flēotan

## Etymology
From fleeting (present participle of fleet, from Old English flēotan 'to glide') + the adverbial suffix -ly.

## AI Etymology
Fleetingly comes from fleeting (present participle of fleet, from Old English flēotan 'to glide') + the adverbial suffix -ly. The etymological trail includes Old English flēotan. As an adverb, fleetingly means for a very short time; briefly. The same family is visible in related forms such as fleet, fleeting, and fleetingness. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Time
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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fleetingly

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