highly

From Middle English hiȝly, heȝly, heyȝliche, from Old English hēalīce (“highly”), equivalent to high +‎ -ly. Cognate with Dutch hoogelijk (“highly”), German höchlich (“highly”), Danish højlig (“highly”), Swedish högligen (“highly”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪli/

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highly (comparative highlier or more highly, superlative highliest or most highly)

1. In a high or esteemed manner.

   He spoke highly of you.

2. Extremely; greatly; very much.
   • 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.

   He is in a highly visible job.

• The adverb highly and the adverb high shouldn't be confused.

  This is certainly highly recommended.

  High above us the stars were shining.