silly
adjective
- funny but of low importance
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L327800 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsɪl.i/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English seely, sēlī, from Old English sǣliġ, ġesǣliġ (“lucky, fortunate”), from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg, from *sāli; equivalent to seel (“happiness, bliss”) + -y. Doublet of Seelie. The semantic evolution is “lucky” to “innocent” to “naive” to “foolish”. Compare the similar evolution of daft (originally meaning “accommodating”), and almost the reverse with nice (originally meaning “ignorant”).
- Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
“They were laughing at a silly joke.”
“silly grin”
- Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
“He cannot achieve celebrity by covering himself with diamonds... or by giving a silly price for a hack.”
- Blessed
“The sylyman lay and herde, / And hys wyf answerd.”
“The King of Spaine is counted very ſtrong, and the Pope is counted very ſtrong, because they haue a ſtrong hand to perſecute the ſilly ones of leſus Chriſt.”
- Blessed
“... thrie Saturdayes befor Lambas and thrie efter called the six silie Saturdayes.”
- Pitiful, inspiring compassion, particularly
“The fire raging upon the silly Carcase.”
“Silly... in the same sense as E. poor is often used, denoting a state which excites compassion.”
- Pitiful, inspiring compassion
“There is no best in þe word, I wene... / That suffuris halfe so myche tene / As doth þe sylly wat.”
“In the silly lambis skin He crap als far as he micht win.”
- Pitiful, inspiring compassion
“scared silly”
“Wherfore Christe must soo moche the more instantelye be sought vpon, that he may vouchsafe to defende vs sylly wretches.”
- Pitiful, inspiring compassion
“Ane sillie scheill vnder ane erdfast stane”
“[…]A pettigree / Of threescore and two yeares a sillie time, / To make prescription for a kingdomes worth.”
- Pitiful, inspiring compassion
“Here we see that a smal sillie Bird knoweth how to match with so great a Beast.”
“[Christ] leaueth neither Children nor kinsfolke behind him to vphold his sillie kingdome.”
- Pitiful, inspiring compassion
“To doe the thing we can / To please... / This silly sickly man.”
“Is there ony thing you would particularly fancy, as your health seems but silly?”
- Simple, plain
“Dauid had no more but a sylie slynge, and a few stones.”
- Simple, plain
“The silly herdman all astonnied standes.”
“So luvaris lair no leid suld lak, A lord to lufe a silly lass.”
- Mentally simple, foolish
“From Hell (of which the silly people of the Country think the top of this hill to be the mouth).”
- Mentally simple, foolish
“silly mistake”
“Wee sillie soules, take the matter too too heauily.”
- Mentally simple, foolish
“Fow ȝellow ȝellow wes hir heid bot scho of lufe wes sillie.”
“Davie's no just like other folk... but he's no sae silly as folk tak him for.”
- Mentally simple, foolish
“You say you were knocked silly—was that so?”
“Drinking myself silly...”
- Very close to the batsman, facing the bowler; closer than short.
“Carpenter now placed himself at silly-point for Grundy, who was playing very forward.”
adv
Etymology: From Middle English seely, sēlī, from Old English sǣliġ, ġesǣliġ (“lucky, fortunate”), from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg, from *sāli; equivalent to seel (“happiness, bliss”) + -y. Doublet of Seelie. The semantic evolution is “lucky” to “innocent” to “naive” to “foolish”. Compare the similar evolution of daft (originally meaning “accommodating”), and almost the reverse with nice (originally meaning “ignorant”).
- Sillily: in a silly manner.
“If you did but see how silly a Man fumbles for an Excuse, when he's a little asham'd of being in Love.”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English seely, sēlī, from Old English sǣliġ, ġesǣliġ (“lucky, fortunate”), from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg, from *sāli; equivalent to seel (“happiness, bliss”) + -y. Doublet of Seelie. The semantic evolution is “lucky” to “innocent” to “naive” to “foolish”. Compare the similar evolution of daft (originally meaning “accommodating”), and almost the reverse with nice (originally meaning “ignorant”).
- A silly person.
“While they, poor sillies, bid good night, O' love an' bogles eerie.”
“"Oh, Bill. I can't - Oh, my dear, I've been hoping so much.... Oh, Bill..." said Josella. I had forgotten all about Susan until a voice came from above. "You are getting wet, you silly. Why don't you kiss her indoors?" it asked.”
- A term of address.
“‘Come on, silly,’ said Nannie.”
- A mistake.