headly

H4E1A1D2L1Y4

adjective

Chief; principal; capital; (of sins) deadly.

OriginMiddle English hedly ← Old English hēafodlīċ →
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Meanings

adjectiveheadly (comparative more headly, superlative most headly)

comparative more headly · superlative most headly

  1. archaicChief; principal; capital; (of sins) deadly.

    O'er blows the filthy and contagious clouds / Of headly murther, spoil, and villainy.

    1623, Shakespeare, King Henry V.
  2. archaicHeady; violent; impetuous.

Origin

  1. Old Englishhēafodlīċ“at the top, principal, capital, deadly”
  2. Middle Englishhedly
  3. Englishheadly

From Middle English hedly, havedlich, from Old English hēafodlīċ (“at the top, principal, capital, deadly”), equivalent to head + -ly. Cognate with West Frisian haadlik, Dutch hoofdelijk, Middle Low German hö̂vetlī̂k, Middle High German houbetlich (archaic German hauptlich). Piecewise doublet of chefly and chiefly.

More words from Middle English, Old English

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Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

HadleyHaydel
Cite this entry
APA

headly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headly

MLA

“headly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headly. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headly,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headly.

Source: headly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.