'empathetically' ultimately derives from 'empathy' + adjective suffix '-ic' and adverbial suffix '-ally'. 'Empathy' comes into English via German 'Empathie' from Greek 'empatheia,' where 'em-' meant 'in' and 'pathos' meant 'feeling'.

'empathetically' was formed from the adjective 'empathetic' (from 'empathy' + '-ic') with the addition of the adverbial suffix '-ally', following the adoption of 'empathy' into English from German 'Empathie' (itself from Greek 'empatheia').

The Greek root originally referred broadly to 'passion' or 'state of emotion'; over time the term evolved through German and English to its modern sense of 'understanding and sharing another's feelings', which is reflected in 'empathetically'.