precisament

Precisament is a Catalan adverb meaning precisely, exactly, or just so. It is used to stress the exactness of a statement, a timing, or an alignment with a fact. In English, it corresponds to the adverb precisely and can appear in various sentence positions, including after a verb or clause or at the beginning for emphasis. Examples: "Vas arribar precisament a les tres" (You arrived exactly at three) and "Precisament això és el que volia dir" (That is precisely what I wanted to say).

Etymology and form: Precisament is formed from the adjective precís (exact) with the adverbial suffix -ament, a construction common in Catalan to form adverbs of manner. The word ultimately traces to Latin praecisus, meaning cut off or exact, sharing roots with related words in other Romance languages.

Usage and style: Precisament is common in both spoken and written Catalan. It serves to introduce or confirm a precise point and can be used for emphasis, alignment with stated facts, or to correct a misunderstanding. While typically placed before the clause it modifies for emphasis, it can also appear later in a sentence depending on emphasis and rhythm.

Cross-linguistic context: The Catalan form has cognates in related languages. French uses précisement, and Spanish uses precisamente, both derived from the same root meaning exact or precise. These forms share semantic fields and are used in parallel to express exactness.

See also: Precís, Precísament in language context; precise, precisely in cross-language discussion.