airtightlyadv.
/ˈɛːˌtʌɪtli/, U.S. /ˈɛrˌtaɪtli/ So as to be impermeable to air; in a manner that ensures impermeability to air. Also figurative: faultlessly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > [adverb] > so as to leave no passage in or out
closely1597
hermetically1605
airtightly1800
1800 E. Howard in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 90 238 By means of a leather collar H, the neck C can be air-tightly closed.
1856 B. Pike Illustr. Descriptive Catal. Optical, Math., & Philos. Instruments I. 198 A syringe furnished with a handle, moving a solid piston air-tightly in a cylindrical barrel.
1876 Manufacturer & Builder July 157/2 At its upper end is a very thin brass tube, air-tightly connected, and this may be led overground to any distance.
1941 H. R. Walpole Nature of Words & their Meanings vi. 132 A can is a..vessel, in which fruit, fish, etc., are sealed up airtightly for preservation.
1993 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 6 Oct. b13/1 John Kruk..hasn't of late played it nearly as efficiently and airtightly as he had earlier in the season.
2002 N.Z. Herald 8 Oct. (Travel section) I was wearing creepy-crawly-proof jeans tucked almost air-tightly into the thickest socks you could buy.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adv.1800