burly

burly · adjective¹

1. Old English · inherited from*byrlīċ“high, raised”
2. Old English · inherited from*būrlīċ“noble, stately”
3. Middle English · inherited fromburly
4. English todayburly

From Middle English burly, burely, borly, burlich, borlich, borlic (“tall, stately”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots burely, burly (“rough, stout, sturdy, strong”). Perhaps from Old English *būrlīċ (“noble, stately”, literally “bowerly”); or from Old English *byrlīċ (“high, raised”), from byre (“raised area, mound”), cognate with Old High German burlīh, purlīh (“lofty, elevated, high, exalted”), related to Old High German burjan (“to raise, lift, push up”), English burgeon. However, Irish burla (“bundle, pack; burly person”) points to a different origin.

burly · adjective²

From burl + -y.