1811 W. Wade Salices xcviii. 327 Upper surface green and pubescent, underneath downily villous, roughly veiny, stipules rather half-heart-shaped, and toothed.

1835 Blackwood's Mag. 38 639 We have detected particles of nutmeg reposing downily on the surface.

1860 Sharpe's London Mag. Jan. 3/1 The snow presses downily, and at night the moonlight sweeps over it and silvers it with glory.

1903 London Mag. June 576/1 He paused and fumbled at the fluff on his upper lip, which hinted downily at the eighteen full-fed years of his life to date.

1935 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 26 Jan. 16/3 (advt.) Lovely first quality blankets, downily napped, and with pastel checkings in several attractive colors, on white.

1979 V. S. Pritchett Edge of Cliff 155 Her eyebrows were softer, more downily intimate than anything else about her.

2004 Times 12 Aug. 63/4 A long-seated 1930s chair so downily inviting that guests zone in on it like birds to nests.

1845 J. D. Smith tr. E. Sue Myst. of Paris II. 326 It's downily [Fr. crânement] arranged, master!

1857 Train 4 348 Far be it from me to pluck a single leaf from the laurels which these officers had so ‘downily’ won: but may I suggest, that a little of the same intelligence diffused through a greater number of the force..might, perhaps, eventually tend to the prevention of crime.

1885 Argus (Melbourne) 5 Sept. 4/3 Still, everyone knows that the cool, experienced gamester, who is downily up to every move in every game of cards..must always win.

1929 C. E. Montague Disenchantment v. § ii. 72 He could soothe the couch of a wounded sergeant by telling him..how downily the old colonel..had timed his enteric inoculation.