cleverly · adverb1
Cleverly · proper noun2
- Old English · derived fromclǣfre“clover”
- English todayCleverly
Perhaps a variant of Cleveley, through an irregular development, or a possibly a habitational surname from a lost or unidentified place in Hampshire, from Old English clǣfre (“clover”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”) and thus equivalent to clover + -ley (“lea”).
Words from the same roots
Old Englishclǣfre all →
Claridge
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.