Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
selly en · ADJ
Pronunciation
/ˈsɛli/
Etymology
From Middle English selly, selly, sellich, from Old English sellīċ, seldlīċ (“rare, strange, wondrous”), from Proto-West Germanic *seldalīk, 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”).
From Middle English selly, selly, sellich, from Old English sellīċ, seldlīċ (“rare, strange, wondrous”), from Proto-West Germanic *seldalīk, 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”).
His brother was […] selly sick and sore unsound. 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], (please specify the book number), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
most selly
Degree=Sup
lexicographic
sillie
alternative
lexicographic
selliest
Degree=Sup
lexicographic
sellier
Degree=Cmp
lexicographic
more selly
Degree=Cmp
lexicographic
silly
alternative
lexicographic
selly en · NOUN
Pronunciation
/ˈsɛli/
Etymology
From Middle English selly, selly, sellich, from Old English sellīċ, seldlīċ (“rare, strange, wondrous”), from Proto-West Germanic *seldalīk, 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”).
Meanings
(Northern-England, Scotland, UK, dialectal) A marvel; wonder; something wonderful or rare
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: