comely

English
WOTD – 16 March 2024

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

The adjective is derived from Middle English comly, comli, cumly, cumlich (“of a person: beautiful, handsome, etc.; of noble birth, bearing, or character; of behaviour: appropriate, becoming; of an event: convenient; favourable; of a thing: beautiful, wonderful; fitting, proper”),[1] from Old English cymlīċ, cȳmlīċ (“beautiful, comely; splendid; convenient”), from cȳme (“beautiful, comely; splendid; exquisite, fine”) + -līċ (suffix meaning ‘like; relating to’ forming adjectives). Cȳme is derived from Proto-Germanic *kūmiz (“delicate; feeble”), from *kūmalīkaz (“dear; pitiful”), probably related to *kūmaz, *kūmijaz (“pitiful; frail, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *gewH- (“to call, name; to call on, invoke; to cry, cry out”). The word was influenced by come (verb).[2]

The verb is derived from the adjective.[3]

cognates

Adjective

comely (comparative comelier or more comely, superlative comeliest or most comely) (chiefly literary or poetic)

  1. (dated or archaic)
    1. Of a person: attractive or pleasing to look at; beautiful, handsome; also, attractive but not particularly beautiful or handsome.
      Synonyms: pulchritudinous; see also Thesaurus:beautiful
      Antonyms: homely, uncomely; see also Thesaurus:ugly
      a comely woman
      • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 3:
        Not once perceive their foul disfigurement, / But boaſt themſelves more comely than before
      • 1656, Tho[mas] Stanley, “[Plato.] A Platonick Discourse, Written in Italian by John Picus Earl of Mirandula, in Explication of a Sonnet by Hieronimo Benivieni.”, in The History of Philosophy, the Second Volume, volume II, London: […] Humphrey Moseley, and Thomas Dring: […], →OCLC, 5th part (Containing the Academick Philosophers), 3rd part of the discourse, scenes VI–VIII, page 116:
        This is properly Venus, Beauty, vvhich kindles the fire of Love in Mankinde: […] VVe ſee many perſons exact, and unaccuſtomable in every part, deſtitute of this grace and comlineſſe; others leſſe perfect in thoſe particular conditions, excellently graceful and comely; […]
      • 1662 November 19 (Gregorian calendar); first published 1692, Robert South, “A Sermon Preached at the Cathedral-Church of St. Paul’s, November the 9th, 1662 [Julian calendar]”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, 6th edition, volume I, London: […] J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1727, →OCLC, page 55:
        He that is comely, when old and decrepit, ſurely was very beautiful, when he was young.
      • 1664 March 9 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Samuel Pepys, Mynors Bright, transcriber, “February 28th, 1663–1664 (Lord’s Day)”, in Henry B[enjamin] Wheatley, editor, The Diary of Samuel Pepys […], volume IV, London: George Bell & Sons […]; Cambridge: Deighton Bell & Co., published 1894, →OCLC, page 58:
        [T]he Bishop of London [Humphrey Henchman], who sat there in a pew, made a purpose for him by the pulpitt, do give the last blessing to the congregation; which was, he being a comely old man, a very decent thing, methought. The Lieutenant of the Tower, Sir J[ohn] Robinson, would needs have me by coach home with him, and sending word home to my house I did go and dine with him, his ordinary table being very good, and his lady [Anne Whitmore] a very high-carriaged but comely big woman; I was mightily pleased with her.
      • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, book II (Pleasure), page 448:
        Then had I come, preventing Sheba's Queen, / To ſee the comelieſt of the Sons of Men; […]
      • 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 243:
        He [Friday] vvas a comely, handsome Fellovv, perfectly vvell made, vvith ſtrait long Limbs, not too large, tall and vvell ſhap'd; and, as I reckon, about tvventy-ſix Years of Age.
      • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 68:
        Near to the winter fire sat a beautiful young girl, so like that last that Scrooge believed it was the same, until he saw her, now a comely matron, sitting opposite her daughter.
      • 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter I, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC, page 2:
        As the painter looked at the gracious and comely form he had so skilfully mirrored in his art, a smile of pleasure passed across his face, and seemed about to linger there.
      • 1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IX, in Hugo Gernsback, editor, Amazing Stories, part II, number 12, New York, N.Y.: Experimenter Publishing, March 1927, →OCLC, page 1143, column 2:
        The chief's name was To-jo, and his household consisted of seven females and himself. These women were much more comely, or rather less hideous than those of Tsa's people; one of them, even, was almost pretty, being less hairy and having a rather nice skin, with high coloring.
    2. Of a person, an action, behaviour, etc.: meeting accepted moral or social norms; appropriate, becoming, proper.
      Synonyms: agreeable, seemly; see also Thesaurus:suitable
      Antonyms: improper, inappropriate, unbecoming, uncomely, unseemly; see also Thesaurus:unsuitable
      • 1597, Richard Hooker, “In the Seruice of Idols the Doores of Their Temples, the Sacrifices, the Altars, the Priests and the Supplicants that were Present Wore Garlands”, in J[ohn] S[penser], editor, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], 2nd edition, London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, book V, section 65, page 344:
        Doth any contumely vvhich vvee ſuſtaine for religions ſake pierce ſo deeply as […] vvhen they […] trample vnder foote almoſt vvhatſoeuer either vvee or the vvhole Church of God by the ſpace of ſo many ages haue beene accuſtomed vnto for the comlier and better exerciſe of our religion according to the ſoundeſt rules that vviſedome directed by the vvord of God and by long experience confirmed hath beene able vvith common aduice, vvith much deliberation and exceeding great diligence to comprehende; […]
      • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], signature [F4], recto:
        I neuer tempted her vvith vvord too large, / But as a brother to his ſiſter, ſhevved / Baſhfull ſinceritie, and comelie loue.
      • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi], page 23, column 2:
        This is a happier and more comely time, / Then vvhen theſe Fellovves ran about the ſtreets, / Crying Confuſion.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 147:1, column 2:
        Praiſe ye the Lord: for it is good to ſing praiſes vnto our God: for it is pleaſant, and praiſe is comely.
      • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Charity, Composed of All Three Kindes, Pleasant, Profitable, Honest”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 3, section 1, member 3, page 527:
        Behold hovv comely and good a thing it is for brethren to liue together in vnion: […]
        From Psalm 133:1 of the Bible.
      • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “The Eighth Sermon. Romans 12. 18.”, in Of the Love of God and Our Neighbour, in Several Sermons, volume III, London: […] Miles Flesher, for Brabazon Aylmer, […], published 1680, →OCLC, page 312:
        That as nothing is more ſvveet and delightfull, ſo nothing more comely and agreeable to humane nature then peaceable living, it being (as Solomon ſaith) an honour to a man to ceaſe from ſtrife; and conſequently alſo a diſgrace to him to continue therein: […]
      • 1725, Homer, “Book III”, in [Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume I, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC, page 128, lines 503–504:
        (A long proceſſion) timely marching home / In comely order to the regal dome.
    3. Of a thing: beautiful, elegant, well-composed; also, delicate, fine.
      Antonym: uncomely
  2. (obsolete) Pleasing to the feelings or senses; agreeable, nice, pleasant.
    Synonyms: gratifying; see also Thesaurus:pleasant
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:unpleasant
Alternative forms
Derived terms
Translations
of a person, an action, behaviour, etc.: meeting accepted moral or social norms — see appropriate,‎ becoming,‎ proper
of a thing: beautiful, elegant, well-composed — see beautiful,‎ elegant
of a thing: delicate, fine — see delicate,‎ fine

Verb

comely (third-person singular simple present comelies, present participle comelying, simple past and past participle comelied)

  1. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To embellish or grace (something).
    • 1580, Thomas Tusser, “Lessons for Waiting Seruants”, in Fiue Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie: […], London: […] Henrie Denham [beeing the assigne of William Seres] […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne and Sidney J[ohn Hervon] Herrtage, editors, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], 1878, →OCLC, stanza 1, page 189:
      One diligent seruiture, skilfull to waight, / more comelieth thy table than other some eight, / That stand for to listen, or gasing about, / not minding their dutie, within nor without.

Etymology 2

From Middle English comli, cumly, cumeliche (“beautifully, handsomely; gracefully; splendidly; fittingly, properly; well”),[4] from Old English cȳme (adjective) (see etymology 1) + Middle English -li (suffix forming adverbs).[5][6]

Adverb

comely (comparative more comely, superlative most comely)

  1. (archaic) Synonym of comelily (“in a comely manner: in an attractive or pleasing manner; in a manner which meets accepted moral or social norms”)
    Antonym: (obsolete) uncomely
Derived terms
Translations
in an attractive or pleasing manner — see attractively,‎ pleasingly
in a manner which meets accepted moral or social norms — see appropriately,‎ becomingly,‎ properly

References
  1. “cǒmlī, adj. and n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. Compare “comely, adj. and n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “comely, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  3. “comely, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  4. “cǒmlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. “-lī, suf.(2)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  6. “comely, adv.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2023.

Anagrams
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