Dictionary

soily en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /sɔɪ.ə.li/
• /sɔɪ.li/

Etymology

From soil + -y.

Meanings

1. Covered in soil; earthy.
   • Bellmark put the soily tin down on Elsie's best table-cover without eliciting a word of reproach, grasped it firmly with his left hand, and worked the opener round the top. 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
   • A woman with a well-to-do south voice told me to wash my soily hands before touching her messages. 1995, Alan Warner, Morvern Callar, Vintage, published 2015, page 9:
2. Resembling or characteristic of soil.
3. Dirty; soiled.
   • Methinks, Miſs, ſaid Sally, you are a little ſoily, to what we have ſeen you. 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CCCXXXIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume VI, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC, page 151:
4. (obsolete) Apt to stain.

Forms

Deriveds

soiliness