Plural of adverb; words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to describe how, when, where, or why something happens.
From Latin 'adverbium' (ad- 'to' + verbum 'word'), coined by Latin grammarians because these words are added to verbs to modify their meaning. The term entered English through Norman French in the 13th century.
Adverbs are grammar's sneaky shapeshifters—they can modify almost anything and often sneak into your writing without you noticing, which is why writing teachers tell you to use fewer of them for more powerful prose.
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