Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sely

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: se-ly
IPA

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Obsolete form of silly, especially in its older senses like "innocent", "pitiable, poor", "trifling, insignificant", but also "foolish".

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"But the troubles of this "poor "sely innocent" were not yet over. The King's mother is indignant at so strange a marriage; and one day in his absence, and by her machinations, Constance and her young child are placed on board a ship to take her chance in the wild sea."
"... for he, seeing his old and trusty servant so many years, with so extreme A.D. and many torments, broken and dried up, would in no wise heap so many sorrows upon one poor sely wretch, neither would commit him to the flames of fire[…]"
"... my poor sely maiden Maria; but I should find it hard to write a fourth within this palace. I may not make my letter much longer. Prithee tell me some news of England, if any be; and shouldst thou hear ought of my gracious mistress[…]"

Etymology

From Middle English sely, from Old English sǣliġ (“blessed, fortunate”), (also gesǣliġ (“happy, prosperous, blessed, fortunate”)), from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg (“happy”). Equivalent to Middle English seel + -y.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: sely, sǣliġ, *sālīg
Suffix: enm:seel

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

selier (comparative) seliest (superlative)

Questions

What does sely mean?: Obsolete form of silly, especially in its older senses like "innocent", "pitiable, poor", "trifling, insignificant", but also "foolish".
Where does sely come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sely

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