selly

Meanings

adjectiveselly (comparative sellier or more selly, superlative selliest or most selly)

comparative sellier · comparative more selly · superlative selliest · superlative most selly · alternative Scotland silly · alternative Scotland sillie

adverbselly (comparative sellier or more selly, superlative selliest or most selly)

comparative sellier · comparative more selly · superlative selliest · superlative most selly · alternative Scotland silly · alternative Scotland sillie

Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalWonderfully, wondrously.
His brother was […] selly sick and sore unsound.
1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], (please specify the book number), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC

nounselly (plural sellies)

plural sellies · alternative Scotland silly · alternative Scotland sillie

Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalA marvel; wonder; something wonderful or rare
The line is a masterstroke of noncommitment, for the event is a "selly" in the sight of some unidentified readers.
1995, Robert J. Blanch, Julian N. Wasserman, From Pearl to Gawain

adjectiveRare; wonderful; admirable

Also see

From Middle English selly, selly, sellich, from Old English sellīċ, seldlīċ (“rare, strange, wondrous”), from Proto-West Germanic *seldalīk, from Proto-Germanic *seldalīkaz, equivalent to seld + -ly. Cognate with Scots selly, silly (“approved, good, worthy”), Old Saxon seldlīk (“rare, wonderful”), Gothic 𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌳𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (sildaleiks, “wonderful”).