silly
Etymology
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Etymology
From Middle English seely, sēlī, from Old English sǣliġ, ġesǣliġ, from Proto-West Germanic *sālīg, from *sāli.
The semantic evolution is “lucky” → “innocent” → “naïve” → “foolish”. Compare the similar evolution of daft (originally meaning “accommodating”), and almost the reverse with nice (originally meaning “ignorant”).
Pronunciation- IPA: /ˈsɪli/
silly (comparative sillier, superlative silliest)
- Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act V, scene i], line 209:
- 1726 October 27, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver's Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC ↗, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), pages 226–227 ↗:
- I remember, before the Dwarf left the Queen, he followed us one day into thoſe gardens, and my Nurſe having ſet me down, he and I being cloſe together, near ſome Dwarf Apple trees, I muſt need ſhew my Wit, by a ſilly Alluſion between him and the Trees, which happens to hold in their Language as it doth in ours.
- 1970, Graham Chapman et al., Monty Python's Flying Circus, I, 183:
- Well sir, I have a silly walk and I'd like to obtain a Government grant to help me develop it.
- (chiefly, Scottish, obsolete) Blessed, particularly:
- (now, chiefly, Scottish and northern England, rare) Pitiful, inspiring compassion, particularly:
- 1556 in 1880, William Henry Turner, Selections from the Records of the City of Oxford... 1509–83, 246:
- The fire raging upon the silly Carcase.
- (now, literary) Innocent; suffering undeservedly, especially as an epithet of lambs and sheep.
- (now, literary) Helpless, defenseless.
- scared silly
- 1539, Juan Luis Vives, translated by Richard Morison, Introduction to Wysedome:
- Wherfore Christe must soo moche the more instantelye be sought vpon, that he may vouchsafe to defende vs sylly wretches.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC ↗; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii ↗:
- Ah Shepheard, pity my diſtreſſed plight,
(If as thou ſeem’ſt, thou art ſo meane a man)
And ſeeke not to inrich thy followers,
By lawleſſe rapine from a ſilly maide, […]
- 1665, Hugo Grotius, translated by Thomas Manley, De Rebus Belgicis, section 938:
- There remained fresh Examples of their Barbarism against weak Sea-men, and silly Fisher-men.
- Insignificant, worthless, (chiefly, Scottish) especially with regard to land quality.
- c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene iii], line 93:
- […] A pettigree
Of threescore and two yeares a sillie time,
To make prescription for a kingdomes worth.
- 1907, Transactions of the Highland & Agricultural Society, 19, 172:
- It is naturally very poor, ‘silly’ land.
- Weak, frail; flimsy (use concerning people and animals is now obsolete).
- 1946, Scottish National Dictionary, published 1971, Vol. VIII, 234/3:
- That'll never grow. It's ower silly.
- Sickly; feeble; infirm.
- 1636, Alexander Montgomerie, The Cherrie & the Slae, line 1512:
- 1818, Heart of Mid-Lothian, Walter Scott, section V:
- Is there ony thing you would particularly fancy, as your health seems but silly?
- 1556 in 1880, William Henry Turner, Selections from the Records of the City of Oxford... 1509–83, 246:
- (now, rural UK, rare) Simple, plain, particularly:
- Mentally simple, foolish, particularly:
- (obsolete) Rustic, uneducated, unlearned.
- 1687, Jean de Thévenot, translated by Archibald Lovell, The Travels of Monsieur de Thevenot into the Levant, i, 2:
- From Hell (of which the silly people of the Country think the top of this hill to be the mouth).
- Thoughtless, lacking judgment.
- 1576, Abraham Fleming translating Sulpicius, A Panoplie of Epistles, 24:
- 1841, Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge, iii, 252:
- ‘Heaven help this silly fellow,’ murmured the perplexed locksmith.
- 1972, George Lucas et al., American Graffiti, section 8:
- Steve, don't be silly. I mean social intercourse.
- (Scottish) Mentally retarded.
- Stupefied, senseless; stunned or dazed.
- 1829 January 17, Lancaster Gazette:
- You say you were knocked silly—was that so?
- 1907, John Millington Synge, Playboy of the Western World, iii, 64:
- Drinking myself silly...
- 1942, J. Chodorov et al., Junior Miss, ii, i, 113:
- Well, Judy, now that you've scared me silly, what's so important?
- 1829 January 17, Lancaster Gazette:
- (obsolete) Rustic, uneducated, unlearned.
- (cricket, of a fielding position) Very close to the batsman, facing the bowler; closer than short.
- 1862 July 4, Notts. Guardian:
- Carpenter now placed himself at silly-point for Grundy, who was playing very forward.
- 1862 July 4, Notts. Guardian:
- (playful) charming
- Also see Thesaurus:foolish
- (antonym(s) of “playful”): pious
- French: sot, insensé, idiot, bête, fou, stupide
- German: doof, dumm
- Italian: sciocco
- Portuguese: bobo, tolo, ingénuo
- Russian: глу́пый
- Spanish: bobo, tonto, niñito
- French: idiot, fou, givré (slang), branque (slang), jeté (slang)
- Portuguese: irresponsável, infantil, bobo
- Spanish: infantil
silly (comparative sillier, superlative silliest)
- (now, regional or colloquial) Sillily: in a silly manner.
- 1731, Colley Cibber, Careless Husband, 7th edition, i, i, 21:
- If you did but see how silly a Man fumbles for an Excuse, when he's a little asham'd of being in Love.
silly (plural sillies)
- (colloquial) A silly person.
- 1807 May, Scots Magazine, 366/1:
- While they, poor sillies, bid good night,
O' love an' bogles eerie.
- While they, poor sillies, bid good night,
- 1807 May, Scots Magazine, 366/1:
- (affectionate, gently pejorative) A term of address.
- 1918 September, St. Nicholas, 972/2:
- ‘Come on, silly,’ said Nannie.
- 1918 September, St. Nicholas, 972/2:
- (colloquial) A mistake.
- German: Dummerchen
- Portuguese: bobo (Brazil), boba (Brazil)
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.005
