In Romance languages such as Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, you can turn an adjective into an adverb by adding ‘-mente’ to its feminine form:
‘claro’ > ‘claramente’.
This suffix ‘-mente’ has a fascinating origin: it’s actually the same word as the noun ‘mente’ meaning “mind”
– which is feminine, hence why you add ‘-mente’ to the feminine adjective!
Click my new infographic to read the story of Romance adverbs.
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RE: https://toot.community/@yvanspijk/116059190570203848
Several people asked if the English suffix '-wise', as in 'otherwise', 'likewise' and 'weatherwise', is like Romance '-mente'.
Yes and no.
'-Wise' used to be a noun too, but it's not the word 'wise' ("sensible").
So unlike '-mente', it has nothing to do with the mind.
'-Wise' comes from the Old English noun 'wīse', which meant "manner, way". "In that way" was 'on þǣre wīsan', for instance.
This noun marginally survives in 'in such wise'.
Via Proto-Germanic *wīsō(n), it ... 1/
