In a cowed or intimidated manner; in a way that shows fear or submissiveness.
From 'cowed' (past tense of 'cow') plus '-ly' (Old English '-lice'), the standard adverb-forming suffix. Turns the adjective-like 'cowed' into an adverb.
English's '-ly' suffix is one of our most productive word-forming tools—we can add it to almost any adjective to make an adverb, allowing endless new expressions of manner!
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