seely

American  

[see-lee] / ˈsi li /

adjective

Archaic.

1. insignificant or feeble; poor.

2. happy; auspicious.

3. good; pious; blessed.

4. foolish; simple-minded.

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Other Word Forms

• seelily adverb

Etymology

Origin of seely

before 1000; Middle English sely, Old English gesǣlig happy, equivalent to sǣl happiness + -ig -y ¹; cognate with Dutch zalig, German selig; akin to Old Norse sæll, Gothic sēls good, Old English sēl better; see silly

Example Sentences

But as it fell out on last Hallow-e’en,When the seely court was ridin’ by,The queen lighted down on a gowan bank,Near by the tree where I wont to lye.

From A Collection of Ballads by Lang, Andrew

Examples are: the double negative with ne; eyen, lenger, doen, ycladd, harrowd, purchas, raught, seely, stowre, swinge, owch, and withouten.

From Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I by Spenser, Edmund

Therefore, Pan, if thou may'st be Made to listen unto me, Grant, I say, if seely man May make treaty to god Pan, That I, without thy denying, May be still to thee relying.

From A Defence of Poesie and Poems by Sidney, Philip, Sir

Let daffodills entwine The seely Shepherd's brow, A nobler wreath I'll win for mine, The Lawrel's manly bough.

From Notes and Queries, Number 33, June 15, 1850 by Various

Thus in the pride and beauty of her eyes The seely boy the greatest god defies.

From Elizabethan Sonnet Cycles Phillis - Licia by Crow, Martha Foote