documentarily

Documentarily is an adverb meaning in a manner pertaining to documents or based on documentary evidence. In legal, archival, and administrative contexts, it describes conclusions, records, or claims that are supported by written documents rather than oral testimony. The term signals that the primary basis for the assertion is documentation such as contracts, deeds, certificates, or official filings.

Etymology: Derived from the noun document with the adverbial suffix -arily; the formation is parallel to words like momentarily, necessarily. The word is relatively rare in contemporary usage and is more often replaced by documentary or, in writing, by "by documentary evidence" or "in writing."

Usage: Given its rarity, documentarily is often found in formal or archival prose. It is most appropriate when emphasizing documentary records as the basis of a conclusion. Example: "The title to the property was established documentarily through the chain of title certificates." Another example: "The events were corroborated documentarily by correspondence and official reports."

See also: documentary evidence, documentation, documentary, documented. Notes: While grammatically valid, the term is infrequent; readers may prefer more common phrasing in modern English.