figurately

English

Etymology

figurate +‎ -ly

Adverb

figurately (comparative more figurately, superlative most figurately)

1. figuratively, in a figurative manner.
   • 1849, William Nind, Lecture-Sermons preached in a Country Parish Church, pages 115–116:

     It is as when we seek for the signification of any particular word in a language; we may find that it bears many different meanings, and some which seem to be contradictory to each other; yet upon further search we may perhaps discover that there is a common idea, which is the source of them all, and that they differ only because the word is taken in one sense literally, in another figurately, and in a third with some special application.

   • 1887, Henry Clews, Twenty-eight Years in Wall Street, page 233:

     He stood in the centre of that great pile, figurately speaking, the cynosure of all eyes from Maine to California, and his fame was noised abroad in Europe.

2. In a figurate manner; Using or forming a figure.
   • 1701, Samuel Jeake, A Compleat Body of Arithmetic:

     As was observed before in Figuration of Surds; so here it may be remembred that any Species simply Irrational, multiplied figurately, produceth a Rational: But Compound Irrational Species may be squared, cubed, etc. by multiplying them figurately as other Figural Numbers are multiplied; but the Unciae to the Parodical Degrees here, will be the Squares of them in Rational Species.

   • 1977, Slovenské národné múzeum, Ivan Mačák, Sources of Slovak Music, page 108:

     In the regulations for Trnava school, which Nicolaus Olahus issued in 1554, we find "The sublector should support a school succentor, who would teach the boys to sing figurately, as well as Gregorian chant."