purely, adv.
(ˈpjʊəlɪ)
[f. pure a. + -ly2.]
In a pure manner or degree: in various senses.
1. a. Without (physical) admixture, esp. of anything that stains or impairs; cleanly, clearly, spotlessly.
| 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xx. (Percy Soc.) 97 The fayre carbuncle, so ful of clerenes, That in thee truely dyd moost purely shyne. c 1600 Drayton Elegy to Lady I.S. 65 The Sunnes rayes..Bent on some obiect, which is purely white. 1824 Miss Mitford Village Ser. i. (1863) 120 The purely grey rouleau..showed its mixture of black and white. 1864 Tennyson Aylmer's F. 458 The soft river-breeze..on him breathed Far purelier in his rushings to and fro. |
† b. So as to make pure or clean; so as to cleanse. Obs.
| 1576 Baker Jewell of Health 232 b, Washe dilygentlye and purelie the bodie. 1611 Bible Isa. i. 25, I will..purely purge away thy drosse. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. 27 It may be purely separated from its Husk by a Mill. 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing xi. ¶15 These Ribs must be purely Smooth-fil'd and Pollish'd. |
2. a. Without mixture of anything different (in non-physical or general sense); simply, merely; exclusively, solely; {ddd}and nothing else: often implying ‘entirely’ (cf. b, and entirely 3).
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 4219 We alle..neuer-more for no man mowe be deliuered..but purli þourh ȝour help. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 47 Þat þei putte not glosis vnto þe reule..but..sympliche and pureliche to seie & to write þe reule. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione ii. v. 45 Lete no þyng be gret or hye or acceptable to þe, but purely god. 1552 Huloet, Purely, liquido, mere, pure, puriter, Syncere. 1662 J. Davies tr. Mandelslo's Trav. 5 Whether they had been..set there in the air purely for show. 1710 Berkeley Princ. Hum. Knowl. §122 Reasonings and controversies purely verbal. 1883 Gilmour Mongols xxxi. 362 The Government duty they have to perform seems to be purely formal. 1890 Academy 8 Nov. 415/2 There were..no children of origin purely Egyptian. |
b. Of degree or extent: Absolutely, thoroughly, perfectly, completely, fully, utterly, entirely. Now U.S. dial.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1512 Þe king louede is wif anon so purliche & so vaste Þat al is herte onliche on hire on he caste. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 260 Ne [may] masse make pees amonges cristene peple, Tyl pruyde be purelich fordo. c 1400–50 Alexander 187 And þe province of Persee purely distruye. 1585 J. Hilton Recant. in Fuller Ch. Hist. (1655) x. vi. §27 The said Errours..I utterly abjure, forsake, and purely renounce. a 1656 Hales Gold. Rem. iii. Serm., etc. (1673) 44 A Gentleman..purely ignorant, yet greatly desirous to seem learned. 1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xiv. 140, I purely hate to think the Forresters has trapped 'em. 1952 B. Harwin Home is Upriver xxi. 198 I'd purely like to see that old woman. She'd be glad. 1970 S. Ellin Bind lvii. 285, I purely wish you wouldn't point that thing at me..there's all kinds of accidents can happen with a gun. 1975 J. F. Burke Death Trick iv. 63 Managers of casbahs [i.e. hotels] like the Castlereagh purely loathe the sight of cops. |
† c. Really, actually, truly, genuinely. Obs.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3323 Icholle make þi sulue..Abbe al þe fourme of þe erl as þou were purliche he. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xvi. 226 He haþ the power þat seynt peter hadde, He haþ pureliche þe pot with þe same salue. |
d. Law. Without conditions, unconditionally.
| 1427 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 327/1 Y⊇ open declaration..subscribed pureli and simply. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1662) i. 183 This his gift was a gift indeed, purely bestowed on the colledge, as loded with no detrimentall Conditions. 1880 Muirhead Gaius iii. §113 If I have stipulated purely, he may stipulate conditionally. |
3. a. Without mixture of anything deteriorating or debasing; without blemish, corruption, baseness, or uncleanness; faultlessly; properly, rightly, correctly; guilelessly, innocently, chastely.
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 158 To behaue you purely, &..to apply yourselfe to labour in the seruyce of god. 1537 (title) The Byble, whych is all the holy Scripture: In whych are contayned the Olde and Newe Testament truelye and purely translated into Englishe by Thomas Matthewe. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iv. v. 169 Faith and troth, Strain'd purely from all hollow bias drawing. 1674 T. Flatman To Mr. Faithorn 6 One line speaks purelier Thee, than my best strain. 1823 Byron Juan xiv. xcii, Or Germany, where people purely kiss. |
b. So as to be ceremonially clean.
| 1613 [see pure a. 7]. |
4. a. slang or colloq. Finely, excellently, capitally; nicely, satisfactorily, very well. Now rare or Obs.
| 1695 Congreve Love for L. ii. ii, You can keep your countenance purely, you'd make an admirable player. 1712–13 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 1 Jan., Am I not purely handled between a couple of puppies? 1756 A. Murphy Apprentice ii. ii, That will do purely. a 1845 Hood Last Man xxi, To see me so purely drest. |
b. dial. Quite well, in good health. (Used predicatively like an adj.; cf. well, ill, poorly.)
| 1796 M. Edgeworth Old Poz in Parent's Assistant (ed. 2) 2nd Ser. II. 55 I'm glad to see your worship look so purely. 1809 ― Absentee xvi. (Tales 1825 X. 321), If the ladies' prayers are of any avail, you ought to be purely. 1828 Craven Gloss. (ed. 2) s.v., ‘How's thy mam?’ ‘Purely, thank ye.’ 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. ii, Well I never! you do look purely. 1859 Thackeray Virgin. xxxiv, ‘I hope the dear ladies are well, sir?’ ‘The ladies are purely.’ |