lovelily

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English[edit]

WOTD – 23 December 2023

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English lovelily, lovelyly (“in a friendly manner, graciously, kindly; beautifully; in a seemly manner, with decorum (?)”) [and other forms],[1] from loveli, lovely (“affectionate, friendly, kind; admirable, excellent; amorous; beautiful, lovely; lovable; proper, seemly (?)”, adjective)[2] (from Old English luflīċ (“amiable, dear, likable, pleasant, lovely; worthy of love, lovable”), from Proto-Germanic *leubalīkaz (“lovely”), from *leubaz (“beloved, dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to admire; to covet, desire, want; to love; to praise”)) + -li (suffix forming adverbs).[3] The English word is analysable as lovely +‎ -ly (suffix forming adverbs).[4]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

lovelily (comparative more lovelily, superlative most lovelily)

  1. In a lovely way.
    1. In a manner to excite or inspire admiration or love; admirably, beautifully, wonderfully.
      • 1723, Cotton Mather, “Cœlestinus. Heaven Convers’d Withal. The Sixth Essay.”, in Cœlestinus. A Conversation in Heaven, Quickened and Assisted, with Discoveries of Things in the Heavenly World. […], Boston, Mass.: […] S[amuel] Kneeland, for Nath[aniel] Belknap, […], →OCLC, pages 117–118:
        By continually doing the part of Sacrificers, and eſpecially by turning all the Good Things of Earth into Sacrifices, a Converſation in Heaven vvill be moſt Lovelily Exemplifyed.
      • 1764, C[harles] Churchill, “Book I”, in The Duellist. A Poem. […], London: […] G. Kearsly, […]; W[illiam] Flexney, […]; J. Coote, […]; C. Henderson, […]; J. Gardiner, […]; and J. Almon, […], →OCLC, page 23:
        Courage, a Youth of royal race, / Lovelily ſtern, poſſeſs'd a place / On her left-hand, and on her right, / Sat Honour, cloath'd vvith robes of Light; […]
      • 1813 December 2 (date written), Lord Byron, “Canto I. Stanza III.”, in The Bride of Abydos. A Turkish Tale, London: […] Thomas Davison, […], for John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 4, lines 57–59:
        So lovelily the morning shone, / That—let the old and weary sleep— / I could not; […]
      • 1889, Francis Thompson, “Ode to the Setting Sun”, in The Works of Francis Thompson, volume I (Poems), New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons […], published 1913, →OCLC, page 125:
        Whatso looks lovelily / Is but the rainbow on life's weeping rain. / Why have we longings of immortal pain, / And all we long for mortal?
    2. (obsolete) In a friendly or pleasant manner; amiably, kindly, pleasantly.

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

in a manner to excite or inspire admiration or love — see admirably,‎ beautifully,‎ wonderfully

References[edit]

  1. ^ “lǒvelīlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “lǒvelī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  3. ^ “-lī, suf.(2)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007..
  4. ^ “lovelily, adv.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “lovelily, adv.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Middle English[edit]

Adverb[edit]

lovelily

  1. Alternative form of lovelyly
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