Shirley · proper noun1
- Old English · derived fromsċīr“county”
- English todayShirley
English place name from Old English sċīr (“county”) + lēah (“meadow”). Equivalent to shire + -ley (“lea”). More at shire, leigh.
Shirley · adverb2
A pun on surely and the name Shirley; probably inspired by the 1980 comedy film Airplane!, which has the exchange: "Surely you can’t be serious." "I am serious — and don’t call me Shirley."
Words from the same roots
Old Englishsċīr all →
sheershire
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.