Meanings
nounsilly-how (plural silly-hows)
plural silly-hows
- archaicdialectalThe caul which sometimes envelops the top of a child's head after birth.
Great conceits are raised of the involution or meembranous covering, commonly called the silly-how, that sometimes is found about the heads of children upon their birth, and is therefore preserved with great care […]
1646, Sir Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, V.23
Origin
From silly, seely + early form of houve.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
silly-how. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silly-how
MLA
“silly-how.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silly-how. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “silly-how,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silly-how.
Source: silly-how on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.