At an earlier time in the past; previously.
From 'former,' which comes from Latin 'formalis' through Old French. The '-ly' suffix makes it an adverb. 'Former' originally meant 'first' or 'earliest,' from Latin 'forma' (form).
The word 'formerly' is crucial in official documents, biographies, and historical writing because it precisely marks the boundary between past and present identities. It's how we say 'this person used to be X but is now Y,' which matters enormously in contexts like name changes, title changes, or organizational histories.
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