snelly

S1N1E1L1L1Y4
/ˈsnɛli/

adverb

quickly; sharply; acutely; coldly

OriginMiddle English snelly ← Old English snellīċe →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

adverbsnelly (comparative more snelly, superlative most snelly)

comparative more snelly · superlative most snelly

  1. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalquickly; sharply; acutely; coldly

    The snaw drives snelly through the dale.

    1811, Charles Gray, The Minstrel
  2. Northern EnglandScotlandUKdialectalsharply; severely; tartly; curtly

Origin

  1. Old Englishsnellīċe“rapidly, quickly, with activity”
  2. Middle Englishsnelly
  3. Englishsnelly

From Middle English snelly, snellych, snellik, snellich, from Old English snellīċe (“rapidly, quickly, with activity”), from snellīċ (“moving quickly; swift”), equivalent to snell + -ly.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

snelly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snelly

MLA

“snelly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snelly. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “snelly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snelly.

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