Inherited from Ottoman Turkish مطلقا (mutlaka, “absolutely”), derived from Arabic مُطْلَقًا (muṭlaqan), adverbial accusative of مُطْلَق (muṭlaq, “absolute”). The form in /aː/ represents the Arabic pausal pronunciation (as also in evvela or mesela). By surface analysis, mutlak (“absolute”) + -an (adverbial suffix).