lastly
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(lăst)These adjectives mean coming after all others in chronology or sequence. Last applies to what comes at the end of a series: the last day of the month. Something final stresses the definitiveness and decisiveness of the conclusion: Somehow he always seems to get the final word in what we end up doing. Terminal applies to what marks or forms a limit or boundary, as in space, time, or development: That railroad's terminal city is a town with a large harbor. Ultimate applies to what concludes a series, process, or progression or constitutes a final result or objective: the ultimate sonata of that opus; our ultimate goal; the ultimate effect.
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(ˈlɑːstlɪ)last•ly
(ˈlæst li, ˈlɑst-)adv.
last
lastlyLast can be an adjective or an adverb.
The last thing, event, or person of a particular kind is the one that comes after all the others.
If you want to emphasize that someone or something is the last one of their kind, you can put very in front of last.
Latest is sometimes used in a similar way.
If something last happened on a particular occasion, it has not happened since then.
If an event is the final one in a series of similar events, you can say that it happens last. You put last at the end of a clause.
You can also use lastly to say that an event is the final one in a series. You put lastly at the beginning of a clause.
However, last and lastly are not always used in the same way. You usually use last to say that an event is the final one in a series of similar events. You use lastly when you are talking about events which are not similar.
For example, if you say 'George phoned his aunt last', you usually mean that George had phoned several people and that his aunt was the last person he phoned. If you say 'Lastly George phoned his aunt', you mean that George had done several things and that the last thing he did was to phoned his aunt.
Lastly has a much more common use. You use it to introduce a final point in a discussion, ask a final question, give a final instruction, or mention a final item in a list.
At last and at long last are used to show that something that you have been waiting for or expecting for a long time has happened. These expressions usually go at the beginning or end of a clause.
You use last in front of a word such as week or month to say when something happened. For example, if it is August and something happened in July, you say that it happened last month.
Be Careful!
Don't say that something happened 'the last month' or 'the last week'.
Last can be used in a similar way in front of the names of festivals, seasons, months, or days of the week.
Don't, however, say 'last morning' or 'last afternoon'. Say yesterday morning or yesterday afternoon.
Be Careful!
Don't say 'last evening'. Say yesterday evening or last night.
When you are describing something that happened in the past and you want to refer to an earlier period of time, you use previous or before instead of 'last'. For example, if you are talking about events that happened in 2005 and you want to mention something that happened in 2004, you say that it happened the previous year or the year before.
You use before last to refer to the period of time immediately before the most recent one of its kind. For example, the year before last means 'the year before last year'.
You can also use last to refer to any period of time measured back from the present. For example, if it is July 23rd and you want to refer to the period from July 2nd to the present, you refer to it as the last three weeks. Note that you must use the. If you want to say that something happened during this period, you say that it happened in the last three weeks or during the last three weeks.
Be Careful!
Note the order of words in these examples. Don't say 'the eight last days' or 'the few last years'.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'in the last' or 'during the last' on their own with a plural noun such as 'years' or 'days'. For example, don't say 'Many changes have been made in the last years'. Use a quantity word or a number. For example, say 'Many changes have been made in the last few years'. Or use recent instead. For example, you can say 'Many changes have been made in recent years'.
Adv. | 1. | lastly - the item at the end; "last, I'll discuss family values" |
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adverblastly
[ˈlɑːstli] advAnd lastly, what do we mean by "acceptable technology"? → Et en dernier lieu, qu'entendons-nous par "technologie acceptable"?
Lastly, I would like to ask about your future plans → En dernier lieu, j'aimerais m'enquérir de vos projets à venir.
the last rites → les derniers sacrements
to administer the last rites → administrer les derniers sacrementsLast Supper n (in Bible) the Last Supper → la Cène