What does fatly mean?
"Fatly" is an adverb meaning in a fat, plump, or bulky manner. Formed from the adjective "fat" with the adverbial suffix "-ly", it is a rare word in contemporary English, appearing far less often than its parent adjective. When it does appear, it is usually in descriptive or literary writing rather than everyday conversation. It can describe the physical appearance or bearing of a plump person or animal — as in a cat sitting fatly on a doorstep — or the behaviour of fatty substances, such as sausages sizzling fatly in a pan, where it evokes grease and richness. Because of its scarcity, the word carries a slightly quaint, old-fashioned flavour that some writers deliberately exploit for vivid or comic effect. Learners should take care not to confuse it with the much more common "flatly", which means in an unequivocal or dull manner and differs by only a single letter. For most purposes, ordinary speakers would reach for phrases like "heavily" or "plumply" instead.
adverbIn a fat manner; in a way that is plump, bulky, or characteristically fat. The word is rare in modern usage and appears chiefly in literary or descriptive contexts.
- In a fat, plump, or bulky manner.
"The cat sat fatly in the middle of the kitchen floor, refusing to move."
"The cat sat fatly in the middle of the kitchen floor, refusing to move."
"Sausages sizzled fatly in the pan, releasing their grease."
"Fatly" is one of those rare adverbs formed straight from an adjective's shape itself — so unusual that many readers meet it only once and never forget it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fatly
"Fatly" is formed by adding the adverbial suffix "-ly" to "fat", an adjective with a long history in English. "Fat" derives from Old English "fætt", meaning fattened or plump, which in turn comes from Proto-Germanic *faitida-, a root also reflected in continental Germanic words such as German "fett" and Dutch "vet". The adverb "fatly" arose through ordinary English derivation from this ancient Germanic root rather than through borrowing, and it has always remained a marginal, literary form beside its far more common parent adjective.
How fatly is actually used
"Fatly" is uncommon and somewhat old-fashioned in everyday speech; it survives mostly in literary description, where writers use it for vivid, often sensory effect — describing both the appearance of plump things and the sound or behaviour of greasy food cooking.
Easily confused with fatly
"Flatly" means in an unequivocal or dull, level manner, while "fatly" means in a fat or plump manner; the words look similar but differ by a single letter and entirely in meaning.