generally

From Middle English generally, generalliche, equivalent to general +‎ -ly.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/, /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ə.ɹə.li/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɚ.li/, /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɚ.ə.li/, /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/

• Audio (US)

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• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒen.ɹə.li/

generally (comparative more generally, superlative most generally)

1. Popularly or widely.

   It is generally known that the Earth is round.

2. As a rule; usually.

   I generally have a walk in the afternoon.

   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond‎:

     During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 2:

     He used to drop into my chambers once in a while to smoke, and was first-rate company. When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.

   • 1922, Michael Arlen, “3/19/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:

     Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house ; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something ; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.

3. Without reference to specific details.

   Generally speaking …

   • 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     “There ain’t no drain of nothing short handy, is there?” said the Chicken, generally. “This here sluicing night is hard lines to a man as lives on his condition.”
     Captain Cuttle proffered a glass of rum […]

4. In the general case, without exception.

   It is generally true that the angles of a triangle sum to 180 degrees.

5. (obsolete) Collectively; as a whole; without omissions.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 17:11:

     I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee.

• (popularly or widely): commonly
• (as a rule; usually): basically, by and large, commonly, ordinarily, mostly, regularly, wontedly; see also Thesaurus:mostly or Thesaurus:usually or Thesaurus:normally
• (without reference to specific details): generically; see also Thesaurus:generally
• (collectively): collaboratively, en masse; see also Thesaurus:jointly

• generally speaking

• generali, generaliche, generallich, generalliche, generaly, generalyche

From general +‎ -ly (adverbial suffix).

• IPA^(key): /ˌdʒɛnəˈraː(l)liː/, /ˈdʒɛnəra(l)liː/, /-liːtʃ(ə)/

generally

1. exceptionlessly, always (without exception)
2. widely, usually (as a rule)
3. generally (without reference to detail)

• English: generally

• “ǧenerāllī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.