Seelie

Seelie

See also: seelie

English

Etymology

From (Scots sely, seelie (“holy, good”), from) Middle English seely, from Old English sǣliġ, gesǣlig. Doublet of silly.

Noun

Seelie (plural Seelie)

1. (fantasy, folklore) A benevolent or beneficially-inclined fairy.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Selena Thana, Sidhe Megalomania: Tuath Dé - Tome 4, K. George (→ISBN):

     We like the Seelie court and the humans lived, loved and laughed. As the war between the Seelie and the Unseelie escalated and the Seelie gained the upper hand we Unseelie were forced to hide in the shadows and fear for our lives.

   • 2008, Karen Marie Moning, Faefever: Fever Series, Delacorte Press (→ISBN):

     Okay, so that sounded like the Seelie hated the Unseelie and vice versa. But not quite. There was something more here. I puzzled over it several moments. Did it mean the Seelie couldn't actually touch the Unseelie, and vice versa? I read on.

Adjective

Seelie (comparative more Seelie, superlative most Seelie)

1. (fantasy, folklore) Of or pertaining to the Seelie; benevolent (as a fairy, etc).
   • 2008, Laurell K. Hamilton, Swallowing Darkness: A Novel, Ballantine Books (→ISBN):

     “Like Sleeping Beauty, you mean,” I said. Henry nodded. His handsome face was very worried, and I didn't know him long enough to read him that well. “They came and saw the garden, and it was very Seelie, my lord. More than that, none.”

   • 2018, Mishell Baker, Impostor Syndrome, Simon and Schuster (→ISBN):

     “Altruism is very Seelie.” “The sidhe were all Seelie once,” Shock said. “Either we resign ourselves to that part of our history or we go mad. I do not fight my impulses toward love and beauty the way my father does. But enough of that.”

Antonyms

• Unseelie

Anagrams

• Eisele