Relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a friar or friars; having the qualities or mannerisms of a friar.
Derived from 'friar' with the adjectival suffix '-ly.' The '-ly' suffix, from Old English '-lic,' was originally used to form adjectives but later became the standard way to form adverbs in English.
While '-ly' is now almost synonymous with adverbs in modern English, it originally formed adjectives—words like 'friarly,' 'kingly,' and 'ghostly' are true adjectives describing what something is like. Over time, English speakers started preferring '-ly' adverbs, which is why 'friendly' meaning 'not hostile' feels like an adjective to us.
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