Almost entirely is spelled as [ɔːlməʊst ɪnˈtaɪəli] in IPA phonetic transcription. The word "almost" is spelled with the long "o" sound /ɔː/ and a silent "l". "Entirely" is spelled with the schwa sound /ə/ in the first syllable and the "tire" syllable is pronounced as /taɪə/. The final syllable is pronounced as /li/. The two words together form a phrase that means nearly completely or just about entirely. It's important to know the IPA phonetic transcription to understand the pronunciation of words.
"Almost entirely" is a phrase used to describe a situation or circumstance where something is predominantly or overwhelmingly present or true, with only a small or insignificant part or exception not adhering to the claim.
When referring to a quantitative perspective, "almost entirely" refers to a scenario where an occurrence or phenomenon is present in an overwhelming majority or extent, leaving only a negligible portion unaffected or deviating from the norm. It implies that something is very close to being completely encompassed or achieved, but falls just short due to a minimal remainder or exception.
From a qualitative standpoint, "almost entirely" suggests that a certain characteristic or aspect is widespread or pervasive, visibly dominating the majority, but not absolutely universal or all-encompassing. It signifies that nearly all instances or instances of high significance exhibit the claimed attribute or characteristic, while acknowledging the existence of a small, yet perceptible, number of exceptions or variations.
In summary, "almost entirely" showcases a situation where something is heavily prevalent or accurate, but with a marginal portion diverging or not conforming to the generalization, either in terms of quantity or quality. It emphasizes the dominance of a trend, phenomenon, or attribute, while allowing for minimal deviations or exceptions.
The word "almost" is derived from the Middle English word "almos" or "almest", which can be traced back to the Old English word "ealmǣst". The prefix "al-" in Old English denoted "entirely" or "completely", and "mǣst" meant "most".
The word "entirely" comes from the Middle English word "entierly", which was formed by combining the Old French word "entier" (meaning "whole" or "complete") and the suffix "-ly" (which is used to form adverbs).
Therefore, the phrase "almost entirely" combines the word "almost" (which originally meant "completely" or "entirely") with the word "entirely" (which means "whole" or "completely").