Contextualizebeta

homely

adj
/ˈhəʊmli/UK/ˈhoʊmli/US

Etymology

From Middle English homly, hoomly, hamely (“domestic, familiar, plain, unattractive”), from Old English *hāmlīċ (“of the home, domestic”), from Proto-West Germanic *haimalīk (“of or characteristic of home”), equivalent to home + -ly. Cognate with Scots hamely (“familiar, personal, private”), West Frisian heimelik, Dutch heimelijk (“secret, secretive, clandestine”), German heimlich (“secret, secretive, clandestine, undercover”), Danish hemmelig (“secret”), Swedish hemlig (“secret, concealed, privy, covert”), Faroese heimligur (“homelike, homey”), Icelandic heimlegur (“homely; worldly”).

  1. inherited from *haimalīk✻ — “of or characteristic of home”
  2. inherited from *hāmlīċ✻ — “of the home, domestic”
  3. inherited from homly

Definitions

  1. Characteristic of, belonging to, or befitting a home

    Characteristic of, belonging to, or befitting a home; domestic, cosy.

    • Other homely details in the stories — preparing a salad, diapering a baby
    • Mowgli: "Oh, don't worry Chota, it may not be homely, but I can warm it up."

  2. Lacking in beauty or elegance, plain in appearance, physically unattractive.

    • There is none so homely but loves a looking-glass.
    • "I can't send a young, pretty girl, or for that matter even a homely one if you'd have her, on a job like this without telling her what to expect."
    • You see, she sees herself as a starlet; I see her as a sturdy, healthy but decidedly homely kid.

  3. On intimate or friendly terms with (someone)

    On intimate or friendly terms with (someone); familiar; at home (with a person); intimate.

    • With all these men I was right homely, and communed with them long and oft.
  4. ›+ 5 more definitions

    1. Domestic

      Domestic; tame.

    2. Personal

      Personal; private.

    3. Friendly

      Friendly; kind; gracious; cordial.

    4. Conservative and family-oriented.

      • I am seeking a beautiful homely girl for marriage.

    5. Simple

      Simple; plain; familiar; unelaborate; unadorned.

      • a homely garment
      • homely fare
      • homely manners

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for homely. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA