thingly

T1H4I1N1G2L1Y4

adjective

Pertaining to the substance of a work, separate from what is conveyed; material, substantive.

OriginMiddle English thingli →
Scrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivethingly (comparative more thingly, superlative most thingly)

comparative more thingly · superlative most thingly

  1. artPertaining to the substance of a work, separate from what is conveyed; material, substantive.

    All works have this thingly character.

    2009, Donald Preziosi, The art of art history: a critical anthology
  2. Actual; real; substantial.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishthingli
  2. Englishthingly

From Middle English thingli, þingly; equivalent to thing + -ly. For sense development, compare Latin reālis.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

nightly
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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