fatherlily

English

Etymology

From fatherly +‎ -ly.

Adverb

fatherlily (comparative more fatherlily, superlative most fatherlily)

1. (rare) In a fatherly manner.

   Synonyms: fatherly, paternally

   • 1864 July/August, John Brown, “To the Same [his son]”, in [John “Jock” Brown], D[avid] W[illiam] Forrest, editors, Letters of Dr. John Brown: With Letters from Ruskin, Thackeray, and Others […], London: Adam and Charles Black, published 1907, page 172:

     Yours respectfully and fatherlily, / J. B.

   • 1921, Marie Conway Oemler, “Linden Goes Home”, in Where the Young Child Was and Also The Spirit of the House, The Youngest Officer, Linden Goes Home, The Little Brown House, That Makes the World Go Round, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., pages 158–159:

     There was a far, fair future in which he and this child, viewing the great work they should do together, might, too, say reverently: “What hath God wrought!” He smiled; he was no longer alone. / His Christmas present presently stirred in his sleep, woke, and sat up. / “Wanterjinkerwater!” said he plaintively. “Dimmyjinkerwater!” / Vain of the delightful fact that he so readily understood this angelic lingo, John got the water, eager to wait fatherlily upon his child. The little man drank slowly, with long and deliberate pauses between little sips. […] Candles and firelight dancing on the walls; upon the table nothing worse than bread and milk and an open bible. And John himself, kneeling, smiling fatherlily upon a rosy and roguish elf who paddled in a glass of water and laughed gleefully.

   • 1926 February 17, Frederick P. Latimer, “To Our Absent Friends”, in The New London Evening Day, New London, Conn., page six, column 4:

     Not now, but soon, and in a very few weeks, the Marchy winds already blowing, Mr. Eldredge of Mystic will be putting fatherlily his matchless peas in the frost-rid ground—after smoothing over the old ground-mole holes—and our friends in far, fair Florida, may safely move them to return.

   • 1949, Philip Lindsay, “Long Live the King”, in The Loves of My Lord Admiral, London: Hutchinson Library Services, published 1974, →ISBN, page 18:

     With a gentle smile that seemed unsuited to the mouth of so brave a soldier, he looked fatherlily around, his big eyes watching everything with a look of dazzled delight.

   • 2017 November 4, Will Hall, “Abide with me”, in Varsity‎^[1], Cambridge, Cambs.: Varsity Publications Ltd, archived from the original on 2024-03-10:

     “Don’t worry son,” said my father, fatherlily, “rules are made to be broken.”