in the proper, expected, or appropriate way; at the right time or in the right manner.
From Old French 'duement,' derived from Latin 'debitum' meaning 'owed' or 'due.' The word originally emphasized fulfilling obligations properly.
Duly' is beloved by formal writers and appears constantly in legal documents and old letters—it's like a verbal stamp that says 'this was done correctly and officially.' It's become almost quaint in modern speech.
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