childly
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English childly, childlich, childli, from Old English ċildlīċ (“childly, childlish”), equivalent to child + -ly.
Adjective edit
childly (comparative more childly, superlative most childly)
- Of or pertaining to a young child; childlike
Usage notes edit
Childly has a positive connotation, as opposed to the sometimes pejorative childish.
Synonyms edit
- juvenile, kiddish; see also Thesaurus:childlike
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Old English ċildlīċ; equivalent to child + -ly.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
childly
- pertaining to a child; childly; childlike
- c. 1386–1390, John Gower, edited by Reinhold Pauli, Confessio Amantis of John Gower: Edited and Collated with the Best Manuscripts, volumes (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Bell and Daldy […], published 1857, →OCLC:
- for to loke upon his cheke
And seen his childly maner eke- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- childish; not mature
Descendants edit
- English: childly
References edit
- “chīldlī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-07-06.
Adverb edit
childly
References edit
- “chīldlī, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-07-06.