▪ I. goodly, a.
(ˈgʊdlɪ)
Forms: (see good and -ly1).
[OE. gódlic, corresponding to OFris. gôdilîk, OS. gôdlîk (MDu. goedelijc, Du. goelijk), OHG. guotl{iacu}h (MHG. guotlich, guetlich).]
1. Of good appearance; good-looking, well-favoured or proportioned; comely, fair, handsome.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 281 Ic hæbbe ᵹeweald micel to ᵹyrwanne godlecran stol hearran on heofne. c 1205 Lay. 860 Þat folc com togadere gudliche cnihtes. c 1300 Siriz 5 Wis he wes of lore, And gouthlich under gore, And clothed in fair sroud. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 831 (880) Þe goodlieste mayde Of gret estat in al þe toun of Troye. c 1440 Paston Lett. No. 25 I. 39 Of colour it wolde be a godely blew. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 183/2 A goodly yonge man and wel lernyd. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. i. viii, This goodly picture was in altitude Nyne fote and more, of fayre marble stone. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 12 Two children..both so beautifull, as that the world never produced a goodlier couple. a 1674 Clarendon Hist. Reb. xiii. §69 The Lord Withrington was one of the most goodly Persons of that Age, being near the head higher than most tall Men. 1809 T. Kelly in R. Palmer Bk. Praise 48 Where no goodly plant is growing, Where no verdure ever smiled. 1886 Ruskin Præterita I. 354 The next goodliest part of the college buildings,—the hall. |
2. Notable or considerable in respect of size, quantity, or number (freq. with mixture of sense 1).
| c 1205 Lay. 6159 Þe king of þan londe..com to-ȝeines Gurguint: mid godliche strengðe. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 367, xx. thousand knights, and squiers, which certeinly were a goodly company. 1639 Fuller Holy War ii. vii. (1647) 51 Surely a goodly stature is most majestical. 1735 Berkeley Querist §214 Seed equally scattered produceth a goodly harvest. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mar. vii. xx, To walk together to the kirk With a goodly company. 1870 Dickens E. Drood ii, One of the two men locks the door with a goodly key. 1877 Black Green Past. xix, She glanced up at a goodly row of joints and fowls. 1881 Besant & Rice Chapl. of Fleet I. 149 Mrs. Deborah cut off three or four goodly slices of cold beef. |
3. Of good quality, admirable, splendid, excellent. Also, well suited for some purpose, proper, convenient (often with implication of sense 1).
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 77 Prol., I..am ful glad if I may fynde an er Of ony goodly word that they han laft. c 1386 ― Nun's Pr. Prol. 13 Swich thyng is gladsom..And of swich thyng were goodly for to telle. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 3019 Holden he was for oon of the wise, And of spech most goodeliest. 1483 Act 1 Rich. III c. 6. §3 Writs of Proclamation in all goodly haste [shall] be directed to every Sheriff. 1513 Act 5 Hen. VIII c. 4 Preamb., Worsteds..have been one of the goodliest Merchandise and greatest Commodity of this Realm. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 44 b, The grounde after his long rest, will beare goodly Corne. 1641 J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 211 Many fair and goodly Proverbs, and Apophthegmes. 1725 Pope Odyss. ix. 7 How goodly seems it, ever to employ Man's social days in union and in joy? 1845–6 Trench Huls. Lect. Ser. ii. i. 153 The goodliest maxim is..nothing, save in its coherence to a body of truth. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xvii. 80 The land which sent forth such goodly stores. |
b. freq. in ironical use.
| 1553 Becon Reliques of Rome (1563) 159 This is y⊇ goodly Godlye Catholyke doctrine wherwith the vngoodly vngodly Papests infecte the mindes of such Christians as [etc.]. 1583 Hollyband Campo di Fior 207 Do you leane on the table? Where have you learned this goodly fashion? 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 160 Heere's a goodly Watch indeed. 1654 Jer. Taylor Real Pres. 151 Verily a goodly argument; if a man could guesse in what mood and figure it could conclude. 1680 Allen Peace & Unity 141 More goodly and self-conceited, more proud and imperious. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth viii, Some complaint..for playing at foot-ball on the streets of the burgh, or some such goodly matter. |
† 4. Gracious, kind, kindly-disposed. Also goodly of, liberal in. Obs.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 753 Þenne þe godlych god gef hym onsware. c 1350 Will. Palerne 355 My godelyche moder, Þat so faire haþ me fed. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ii. ii. (1495) 29 Angels ben goodly and not tormented by the prycke of enuye. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3766 Achilles was..Godely of giftes, grettist in expense. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 201/1 Goodly, benignus, benevolus. |
† 5. phr. goodly and gracious! (see gracious).
| 1713 Bentley Remarks ii. liii. (ed. 2) 76 Goodly and gracious! What an Honour is this to Cicero's Ashes? 1744 Warburton Wks. (1811) XI. 318 Goodly and gracious! Here he shews how capable a reader he is of The Divine Legation. |
Hence † ˈgoodlily adv. = next.
| a 1500 Chaucer's Dreme 824 More friendly Unto my lady, and goodlely He spake, than any that was there. |
▪ II. goodly, adv.
(ˈgʊdlɪ)
Forms: (see good and -ly2).
[ME. godliche, corresponding to OHG. guotlîcho (MHG. guotlîche).]
† 1. So as to produce a goodly appearance or effect; beautifully, elegantly, gracefully. Obs.
| c 1205 Lay. 100 Tuenti gode scipen he guðliche fulde. Ibid. 18858 Of him scullen gleomen godliche singen. c 1350 Leg. Rood (1871) 71 Michaell come and by þam stode, And oþer angels gudely graid. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 578 At þat corner..Herde I aldyr louelyest lady dere..Synge so wel so godly, and so clere. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 832 With sper and target gudely grayd. 1515 Scot. Field 333 Thus he graces him godly with a greate meany. 1535 Coverdale Ecclus. l. 18 They sunge goodly also with their voyces. 1556 Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden) 81 It was goodly hangyd with clothes, banners, and stremers, and syngers, and goodly aparelde alle the way downe to Ledynhalle. |
† 2. Favourably, graciously, kindly; courteously, in a proper or becoming manner. Also, liberally.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 23092 Quen i was will and vte o rest, Godli toke yee me to gest. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 273 Þow wyl grant me godly þe gomen þat I ask. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. i. 180 But if ȝe loven..þe poure, Such good as god ȝow sent godelich parteth. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 118 The Coilȝear gudlie in feir tuke him be the hand. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxv. 270 Ladyes, and demoselles, right goodly dyde visyte hym. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. v. 15 Running heralds humble homage made, Greeting him goodly with new victory. 1676–7 Hale Contempl. ii. 132 How we pride our selves in it? how goodly we look upon our selves? |
3. In a goodly or excellent fashion; excellently. Also in ironical use. Now rare.
| c 1320 Cast. Love 1396 He is vre Fader ariht, And so goodliche vs haþ i-diht Þat [etc.]. c 1350 Will. Palerne 169 God graunt hem his blis Þat godly so prayen! c 1430 Syr Gener. 1554 She liked him so goodelie in hir thoght. 1535 Coverdale Num. xvi. 14 How goodly well hast thou brought Vs in to a londe that [etc.]. 1535 J. Mason in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. II. 55 Here be many Cyties, butt nother great nor peopled, nother yett goodly buyldid. 1680 H. More Apocal. Apoc. 283 R. H. thinke so goodly well of his confutation.. that [etc.]. 1865 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. III. 261 You are so good about writing that you deserve to be goodly done by. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. II. 70/1 How goodly and cleanly they and their wives and children lived. |
† 4. Conveniently, with propriety. Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶53 And for ther is gret peril in werre; therefore shulde a man flee and eschewe warre in as muchel as a man may goodly. 1397 Will Thomas Earl of Kent in Roy. Wills (1780) 118 My body to be buried as sone as hit goodlich may. 1422 E.E. Wills (1882) 49 As son as yt may be don godly after þat I hame dede. 1448 Will of Hen. VI in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) I. 378 The most substancial and best abidyng stuffe..that may goodly be had. c 1500 Melusine xxx. 218 She prayed hym to retournne assoone as he goodly myght. 1513 Douglas æneis xiii. vii. 35 Quhen that he cummyn was so neir, That athir gudly to othir speik mycht. |
† 5. In negative clauses: Easily, readily. Obs.
| c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xi. 130 No man may passe be that weye godely, but in tyme of Wyntir. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 1601 Wors tydinges..I myght not goodly here. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 80 And so may not goodely ne wele eny man directe another, but if he dyrecte him self first. a 1572 Knox Hist. Ref. Wks. 1846 I. 385 The quhilk, becaus it is sa strange as it is..I can not gudlie beleif it. 1652 Urquhart Jewel Wks. (1834) 215 Denmark, in my opinion, cannot goodly forget the magnanimous exploits of Sir Donald Mackie Lord Reay. |
6. Comb., as goodly-ordered, goodly-propertied, goodly-sized adjs.
| 1656 S. Holland Zara (1719) 26 Pomgranates and luscious Dates contended which first should salute his goodly-siz'd Grinders. 1673 Dryden State Innoc. ii. i, O goodly-ordered work! O Power Divine, Of Thee I am, and what I am is Thine. 1821 Lamb Elia Ser. i. All Fool's Day, A pair of so goodly-propertied and meritoriously-equal damsels. |