In any way or manner whatsoever; to any extent or degree.
From Old English 'æniweg' combining 'any' and 'wise' (meaning manner or way). The suffix '-wise' comes from Old English 'wīse' meaning direction or manner, and was commonly used to form adverbs in Middle English.
This word shows how English speakers loved adding '-wise' to create adverbs—we still do it today with 'clockwise' and 'lengthwise'! It's a clever way to turn nouns into words describing how something happens.
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