In a manner that shows you are not remembering things or paying attention to what you should remember.
From 'forgetful' (adjective meaning prone to forgetting) plus the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The root 'forget' comes from Old English 'forgietan,' combining 'for-' (away) and 'gietan' (to get), literally meaning 'to lose hold of.'
The word structure tells a story: 'for-' means you're losing something completely, while 'get' originally meant to seize or grasp. So when you forget, you're literally releasing your grip on a memory. This is why we still say 'I can't get that tune out of my head'—memory is described as holding or grasping!
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