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ruly

adj
/ˈɹuːli/

Etymology

Back-formation from unruly, or perhaps a continuation of Middle English rewly, ruly, reuli (“subject to a religious rule, regular”), equivalent to rule + -ly, rule + -y; or perhaps from Old French rulé, reulé, rieulé (“ruled”), past participle of rieuler (“to rule”). More at rule.

  1. inherited from hrēowlīċ — “grievous, pitiful, sad, wretched, cruel”
  2. inherited from rewly

Definitions

  1. Pitiable

    Pitiable; miserable.

  2. Pitiably

    Pitiably; miserably.

  3. Neat and orderly.

    • What is certain is that everything they see is strange: the lifeless neatness of the courtyard, the straightness of the paths, the ruly gang of labourers in their dull uniforms and with their ageless, polished faces.
    • 1610: John Marston, Histrio-Mastix, page 28 (quarto): [Perpetuana:] Nay Ile be matchlesse for a carckanet,/Whose Pearles and Diamonds plac'd with ruly rocks/Shall circle this faire necke to set it forth [.]

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for ruly. 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