Etymology

thiefly

T1H4I1E1F4L1Y4

Today it means: Like a thief; thievish. Full definition →

Middle English theefly
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thiefly · adjective1

  1. Middle English · inherited fromtheefly
  2. English todaythiefly

From Middle English theefly; equivalent to thief + -ly.

thiefly · adverb2

  1. Middle English · inherited fromthefly
  2. English todaythiefly

From Middle English thefly, þeefliche, þeofliche, equivalent thief + -ly.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.