gostly

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English gāstlīċ (“spiritual, holy, clerical (not lay), ghastly, ghostly, spectral”). Equivalent to gost +‎ -ly (adjectival suffix).

Alternative forms

• gastli, gastlike, goistli, goostli, goostly, gosslich, gosteli, gosteliche, gostili, gostli, gostlich, gostliche

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɔːstliː/, /-lit͡ʃ/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaːstliː/

Adjective

gostly

1. Relating to or belonging to the spirit; spiritual.
2. Supernatural, incorporeal; consisting of spirit.
3. Religious, ecclesiastical; non-secular.
4. Having intense religious faith; devout, pious.
5. Ghostly, ghastly; related to or like ghosts.

Descendants

• English: ghostly; ghastly (by conflation)
• Scots: gaistly, ghaistly

References

• “gōstlī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-30.

Etymology 2

From Old English gāstlīċe, gǣstlīċe. Equivalent to gost +‎ -ly (adverbial suffix).

Alternative forms

• goostely, goostli, goostliche, goostly, gostli, gostliche, gostlych
• gasteli, gastely, gastli, gastlye (Northern)
• gastlice, gastliche, gastliȝ (Early Middle English)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɔːstliː/, /-lit͡ʃ(ə)/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaːstliː/

Adverb

gostly

1. In a spiritual way; spiritually.
2. In a devoted way; piously.
3. In or as a spirit; in incorporeal form.

Descendants

• English: ghostly
• Scots: gaistly, ghaistly

References

• “gōstlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.