selly
English
Alternative forms
- silly, sillie (Scotland)
Etymology
From Middle English selly, selly, sellich, from Old English sellīċ, seldlīċ (“rare, strange, wondrous, extraordinary, wonderful; having unusually good qualities, excellent, admirable; select, better, superior, choice”), from Proto-Germanic *seldalīkaz, equivalent to seld + -ly. Cognate with Scots selly, silly (“approved, good, worthy”), Old Saxon seldlīk (“rare, wonderful”), Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (sildaleiks, “wonderful”).
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɛli
Adjective
selly (comparative sellier or more selly, superlative selliest or most selly)
- (Britain dialectal, Northern England, Scotland, MLE) Rare; wonderful; admirable
- 2017 December 22, “No Hook”, performed by 61 – Cee Drilla x Beans x Nz x Ruger:
- And I am whipping off raw, that’s messy
The nitties them call that selly
-
Adverb
selly (comparative sellier or more selly, superlative selliest or most selly)
- (Britain dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) Wonderfully, wondrous.
- Malory
- His brother was […] selly sick and sore unsound.
- Malory
Noun
selly (plural sellies)
- (Britain dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) A marvel; wonder; something wonderful or rare
- 1995, Robert J. Blanch, Julian N. Wasserman, From Pearl to Gawain:
- The line is a masterstroke of noncommitment, for the event is a "selly" in the sight of some unidentified readers.
- 1995, Robert J. Blanch, Julian N. Wasserman, From Pearl to Gawain:
Anagrams
- Lyles, yells
Middle English
Alternative forms
- selli, sellich, selliche, sillich, sullich, seollich, sælliche, sellic, solly, sællic, selle, celly
Etymology
From Old English sellīċ, seldlīċ, syllīċ, from Proto-Germanic *seldalīkaz; equivalent to selde (“uncommon”) + -ly.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsɛliː/, /ˈsɛliːtʃ(ə)/, /ˈsɛleː/
Adjective
selly
- weird, unusual, odd, bizarre
- strange, astounding, wondrous
- amazing, extraordinary, breathtaking
- many (in number); abundant.
Descendants
- English: selly
- Scots: selly
References
- “sellī (adj.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-04.
Adverb
selly
- weirdly, wondrously, oddly, surprisingly
- In a agile manner; speedily; with power and force.
- (By) a lot; extremely, to a great degree.
Descendants
- English: selly
- Scots: selly
References
- “sellī (adv.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-04.
Noun
selly (plural sellys)
- A wondrous or astounding happening or action.
Descendants
- English: selly
- Scots: selly
References
- “sellī (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-04.