townish en · ADJ
Etymology
From Middle English townishe, townysche, equivalent to town + -ish.
Meanings
- (in-compounds, often) Characteristic of a (certain type of) town.
-
(obsolete) Pertaining to or inhabiting a town, urban.
In stature passing all the rest, A gallant girl for hewe; To be compared to townish nymphs, So faire she was to viewe.
1567, George Turberville, second eclogue of Baptista Mantuanus:My mothers maydes when they did ſowe & ſpyñ they ſang ſometyme a ſong of the feld mowſe that forbicauſe her lyvelood was but thyñ Would nedes goo ſeke her townyſſh ſyſters howſe
c. 1527–1542, Thomas Wyatt, “My mothers maydes when they did ſowe & ſpyñ”, in Egerton MS 2711, page 50v:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most townish | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more townish | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |