ruly
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɹuːli/
- Hyphenation: ru‧ly
- Rhymes: -uːli
Etymology 1
From Middle English rewly, ruly, rewely, reweliche, from Old English hrēowlīċ (“grievous, pitiful, sad, wretched, cruel”), equivalent to rue + -ly.
Adjective
ruly (comparative rulier or more ruly, superlative ruliest or most ruly)
- Pitiable; miserable.
Etymology 2
From Middle English rewly, reoly, reowliche, from Old English hrēowlīċe (“cruelly”), equivalent to rue + -ly.
Adverb
ruly (comparative rulier or more ruly, superlative ruliest or most ruly)
- Pitiably; miserably.
Etymology 3
Back-formation from unruly, or perhaps a continuation of Middle English rewly, ruly, reuli (“subject to a religious rule, regular”), equivalent to rule + -ly, rule + -y; or perhaps from Old French rulé, reulé, rieulé (“ruled”), past participle of rieuler (“to rule”). More at rule.
Adjective
ruly (comparative rulier, superlative ruliest)
- neat and orderly
- 1994 July 25, Jack Winter, “How I met my wife”, in The New Yorker:
- So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way through the ruly crowd with strong givings.
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