affectionately
adv.in a way that shows you like or love someone. You use this to describe a warm, caring action like a hug or a kind word.
adv.in a manner characterized by fondness, tenderness, or warmth. Typically describes physical gestures or verbal expressions of endearment.
“She smiled affectionately at her young grandson.”
“The old friends greeted each other affectionately, sharing a long hug before sitting down to talk.”
“Even after decades of marriage, they still spoke affectionately of their first meeting, recalling every detail with a warmth that suggested the memory had never faded.”
Typically follows the verb it modifies or appears at the end of the clause.
“And Ivy was nominated in honour of a nine-month-old Labrador puppy affectionately known as "the absolute destructor".”
“The marmot researchers affectionately call themselves "marmoteers." "It allows graduate students and other people to come in and suddenly capitalize on this knowledge and ask questions.”
From affectionate + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.