statelyadj.n.
/ˈsteɪtli/, U.S. /ˈsteɪtli/ A. adj.† 6. Powerful, effective. Obsolete. [With the use in quot. 1662 perhaps compare early modern German stattlich beneficial, effective (used of medicines).]
1.
a. Of a person, or a person's appearance, bearing, etc.: befitting or indicating high rank; princely, noble, majestic; (hence) imposingly dignified.Also occasionally of an animal; cf. sense A. 4a(b).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > splendour, magnificence, or pomp > [adjective]
wlonkOE
kine-wurtheOE
reala1325
rialc1330
royalc1400
wlonkfulc1400
statelyc1415
pompousc1425
imperial?1435
pontificalc1440
sumptuous1472
magnific1490
magnificenta1530
statelike1534
pompatic1535
magnificala1538
princely1539
portly1548
regal1561
queen-like?1571
haughty1585
portlike1587
Minerva-like1598
lustrous1605
pompatical1610
pontificial1613
commandinga1616
pompal1616
grand1622
splendid1624
pontifician1629
regifical1656
queenly1791
presidential1804
angeliferous1837
slashing1854
sultanesque1862
pageanted1902
the mind > emotion > pride > proper pride or self-respect > [adjective] > dignified
estatelyc1374
burlya1400
portlyc1484
stately1496
great1547
stateful1604
commandinga1616
stately1725
presidential1804
dignifieda1812
splendid1833
c1415 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Corpus Oxf.) (1868) l. 281 So statly was he of his gouernance With his bargaynes and his cheuissance.
a1456 (c1425) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 649 Þis staately foole [sc. the eagle], mooste imperyal,..Called in Scripture þe foole celestyal.
1577 J. Grange Golden Aphroditis sig. Fv I presume to lay my based finger vpon thy stately corps.
1589 R. Robinson Golden Mirrour sig. B.3 And prest accomplere, sayd the noble Hound, With sterne and stately countenance all about.
1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. xxiv. 871/2 Her stately port and maiesticall departure.
a1640 P. Massinger Guardian ii. v. 20 in 3 New Playes (1655) The plump Dutch Fro, the stately Dame of Spain, The Roman Libertine, and spritetful Tuscan.
1725 View London & Westm. ii. 61 Monsieur Valet came down, with a very stately Air, a long Pig-tail'd Wig..and a Coat as white as a Miller's.
1756 Let. 21 Sept. in E. Pyle Mem. Royal Chaplain (1905) 265 A sergeant of grenadiers, a stately fellow, with a vast pair of whiskers.
1822 W. Irving Bracebridge Hall I. 60 She is depicted as a stately dame..next to the portrait of her husband, a gallant colonel in full-bottomed wig and gold-laced hat.
1890 Frank Leslie's Pop. Monthly Oct. 420/2 With such grace and dignity.., he was a person you would pick out as the kingliest, stateliest man in the crowd.
1916 E. F. Buckley tr. L. Batiffol Cent. Renaissance ii. 84 Like Louis XIV, he would have been recognizable anywhere by his stately appearance.
1987 J. Pelikan in L. Goldberger Rescue Danish Jews x. 173 She is now a handsome and stately matron, with exquisite taste in language, clothes, and food.
2011 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 31 May (Sports section) 1 c His nickname was the Senator, reflecting his stately bearing, patriotism and deftness at dodging direct questions.
b. Of movement or gait: slow and dignified; deliberate, sedate. Also: that moves in such a manner; characterized by such movement.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > proper pride or self-respect > [adjective] > dignified > specifically of movement
stately?1536
?1536 W. Marshall Luther's Images Verye Chrysten Bysshop sig. r.iiiiv Hauyng this armure vpon them, with a statelye and a solempne gate they shall come forth.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. ii. 10 Bullingbrooke Mounted vpon a hote and fierie steede,..With slow, but stately pase kept on his course. View more context for this quotation
1614 S. Latham Falconry i. xvi. 73 Then ought you to be most carefull of the yong Ger-Faulcon, whom you intend to make to the high mounty, and stately flight of the Hearne.
1656 W. Sanderson Compl. Hist. Mary & James VI ii. 507 His Stately gait, at a blush might present him to appear proud to the common Man.
1725 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey II. ix. 530 And first with stately step at evening hour Thy fleecy fellows usher to their bow'r.
1774 E. Long Hist. Jamaica II. iii. i. 362 He presented his hand to re-conduct the persons who came to visit him, and stalked with a stately gait before them.
1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey IV. vi. ii. 70 A whole flock of stately geese issued in solemn pomp from another gate.
1854 J. D. Forbes Tour Mt. Blanc Introd. 11 The stately march of the glacier is yet a stage more slow.
1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd I. ii. 14 Long and quietly watch your stately progress through the stars.
1921 Spectator 19 Feb. 236/3 Instead of a stately waltz at an even pace,..they were covering the floor with a glorified tango.
1983 A. Mason Illusionist i. 37 No longer wild, but measured, even stately, a tread of ageless dignity.
2011 Independent 18 Feb. 25/1 At 25mph it will be a stately inaugural journey.
c. Of a person's lineage, bloodline, birth, etc.: noble; aristocratic. Now rare (archaic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > [adjective]
freelyOE
freeOE
noblea1250
sovereignful1508
stately?1549
noblemanly1812
?1549 R. Wyer tr. C. de Pisan C. Hyst. Troye vi. sig. D.iij Of hym thy condicion must take his inclynacion By dyscent of Troye, from the stately lyne.
1853 Graham's Mag. Nov. 520/1 The world will question you of..your noble kindred—your stately ancestry—these must be displayed before its favors are conceded.
1897 A. E. Trumbull Christmas Accident 70 It is not..from any vain Partiality for high-sounding names..that I claim for Mary Twining stately Lineage.
2005 R. Solàrion Apollonius of Tyana & Shroud of Turin xiv. 230 The Prince's parents, on hearing of his trials, send a messenger with a letter reminding him of his stately birth and promised task.
2. Befitting or appropriate to a person of high rank or status; magnificent, splendid.
a. Of a place or thing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > splendour > [adjective] > magnificent
lordlylOE
richc1275
prouda1300
noblec1300
gloriousc1315
reala1325
rialc1330
stouta1350
solemnc1386
royalc1400
pompousc1425
statelyc1425
lordlike1488
magnific1490
of state1498
magnificenta1530
pompatic1535
magnificala1538
princely1539
gorgeous?1542
regal1561
superbious?1566
surly1566
splendent1567
heroical1577
superbous1581
sumptuous1594
pompatical1610
pompal1616
fastidious1638
grand1673
splendid1685
grandific1727
grandiose1818
splendiferous1827
splendacious1843
magnolious1863
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 1255 (MED) Þer was a rial chef cite..With many palys, staatly and royal.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Gouernaunce of Princis (1993) xxiv. 98 Faire clething..our all grathit with precious jowalis vchis and besantis, and stately array.
1555 Act 2 & 3 Phil. & Mar. c. 20 §1 The Duchie of Lancastree, being one of the most famous Princeliest & Stateliest peeces of our said Sovereigne Ladie the Quenes auncyent Enheritance.
1583 P. Stubbes Anat. Abuses sig. Fivv Golde, siluer, or silk lace of stately price.
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 135 Compare the Roman names that seeme so stately..what is..Crispus [but] Curle-pate.
1654 A. Tuckney Θανατοκτασία 12 The stateliest room, though nerer so richly hung and furnished, is but a sad sight, where's nothing else to be seen but the dead master..in the midst of it.
1756 T. Nugent Grand Tour II. 256 In winter they have races in stately sledges, besides masquerading and splendid balls.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Lord of Burleigh in Poems (new ed.) II. 203 A gateway she discerns With armorial bearings stately.
1923 Humorist 25 Aug. 120/2 When England's stately crown reposed On Queen Victoria's brow, The modest maid was sure to ‘click’.
2007 L. Kleypas Mine till Midnight vi. 76 In these stately surroundings, the Hathaways' faults would be magnified.
b. Of entertainment, a ceremony, etc.
ΚΠ
1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church iv. iv. f. 253 Besides her S. Magdalin, and so forth, as appeareth in Processions and statelie shewes in Brabant and els where.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 v. vii. 43 That we spend the time, With stately Triumphs and mirthfull comicke shewes.
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. 16 The Dominicans..invited all the Jesuites..to a stately dinner both of Fish and Flesh.
1661 Prince of Tartaria 7 We returned to the Bride, whose entertainment was stately.
1734 in Scarborough Misc. 1734 2 When Night to Vipont's the Assembly calls, Engag'd in Play, or lur'd to stately Balls.
1838 Q. Rev. Oct. 214 All comedies, playes, and festivals..were appointed to be as decently and magnificently gone about as possible, for the more sumptuous and stately entertainment of such a splendid prince.
1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 53 The most stately ritual that can be devised.
1911 W. W. Fowler Relig. Exper. Rom. People ix. 218 Meaningless as they were, the stately processions remained.
2005 Salina (Kansas) Jrnl. 3 Mar. (Sports section) c5/1 President Bush gave Congress' highest honor to Robinson's widow..in a stately ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda.
3. Of a person, or a person's character, behaviour, etc.† a. Haughty, arrogant, imperious. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > arrogance > [adjective]
wlonkOE
moodyOE
rankOE
surquidous1377
insolentc1386
wantona1393
arrogantc1405
angardc1425
surquidrousc1430
stately1448
imperiala1456
superbious1509
succudrous1513
surquidant1528
ruffling1543
controlling1564
lustya1568
cocking1568
superbous1581
bog1592
swaggering1596
superarrogant1598
arrogating1601
pyrgopolinizing1605
high-handed1606
outbearing1607
high-horsed1613
dictatory1639
bardish1641
self-assuming1647
superbient1647
huffy1680
dictatorial1692
huffish1755
cobby1785
high-riding1831
braggadocious1853
snouty1858
you-be-damned1887
1448 J. Damme in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 30 I trust he must haue a better warant þan his stately langage, or ell he shall not haue it from hem esily.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 62 And sho was a passand fayr mayden emang all oþer; & with þat sho was passand statelie & prowde, & thoght skorn be evur-ilk common man.
1544 P. Betham tr. J. di Porcia Preceptes Warre i. clxx. sig. H vijv The multitude neuer iustly ne egally can beare rule and offyce thorough theyr arrogaunte, stubburne, and stately conditions.
1577 M. Hanmer tr. Bp. Eusebius in Aunc. Eccl. Hist. ix. x. 181 He presumed to waxe stately against his fellowe Emperours.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Pris Corné pris, grown stately, proud, intolerable.
1687 R. L'Estrange Answer Dissenter 4 If they be not either too Sturdy, or too Stately, to Hearken to Reason.
1740 M. D. tr. Marquis d'Argens Jewish Spy II. xlix. 61 The Noble Venetians are stately and haughty, infatuated with the Dignity of their Rank.
1777 E. Griffith tr. J. R. de Segrais Zayde ii, in Coll. Novels I. 141 As Naria was haughty and stately, she resolved not to receive any [presents] which were of value.
b. Excessively dignified, esp. in a superior manner; stiffly formal; aloof.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > haughtiness or disdainfulness > [adjective]
overmoodeOE
highlyOE
overmoodOE
overmoodyOE
orgelc1175
dangerous?c1225
orgula1275
orgulousc1275
fiercec1290
hautain1297
highfulc1325
squeamousc1325
deignousc1330
digne1340
disdainousc1374
sirlya1375
lordlyc1390
high-hearteda1398
haught1430
haut1430
coppedc1449
excellentc1450
fastidious?a1475
loftyc1485
dain?1507
hichty1513
stiff-necked1526
supercilious1528
haughty1530
taunt?a1534
disdainfula1542
high in the instep1555
skeighc1560
queen-like?1571
surlyc1572
stately1579
coy1581
paughtya1586
steya1586
disdained1598
dortya1605
lordlike1605
overly1606
magnatical1608
stiff1608
surly-borne1609
high-sighted1610
lofty-minded1611
sublimed1611
patronizing1619
lording1629
sublimated1634
cavaliering1642
uncondescending1660
nose-in-the-air1673
sidy1673
fastuose1674
uncondescensive1681
condescending1707
stiff-rumped1728
fastidiose1730
cavalier1751
ogertful1754
pawky1809
supercilian1825
splendid1833
touch-me-not1852
pincé1858
high-stepping1867
eyeglassy1871
sniffy1871
cavalierly1876
snifty1889
Olympian1900
ritzy1920
mugwumpish1923
blasé1930
stiff-arsed1937
nose-high1939
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 170 Pericles was a very prowde man, and a stately, and that with his grauity and noble minde, there was mingled a certaine scorne and contempt of other.
a1625 J. Fletcher Wit without Money (1639) ii. sig. C2v This Widdow is the strangest thing, the stateliest, and stands so much upon her excellencies.
1688 S. Penton Guardian's Instr. 22 When I say I would have my eldest son a little stately: I do not mean any degree of that gross imperious Pride which God and Man hates.
1712 J. Swift Let. to Duchess of Ormond 20 Dec. in Wks. (1808) X. 288 [Your grace's picture] will set me labouring upon majestic, sublime ideas..and will make those who come to visit me think I am grown on the sudden wonderful stately and reserved.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia I. ii. iii. 187 A Minerva, not stately nor austere,..ran up to Cecilia.
1828 Marly: Planter's Life in Jamaica 209 [He] obtained a very distant and stately reception.
1841 G. P. R. James Brigand vii When we did meet, he was distant and stately in his manner.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People viii. §3. 480 The stately reserve [of Charles]..contrasted favourably with the gabble and indecorum of his father.
1920 D. Vane Ferrybridge Myst. xiii. 158 Miss Blake..doesn't seem the sort of person for everyday use. A little too cold and stately and standoffish, perhaps.
a1969 J. Kerouac Visions of Cody (1992) 346 Writes with severe and stately dignity under after supper lamps.
2007 N.Y. Times Mag. (Nexis) 20 May 59 I would appear stately and aloof rather than sad and drugged.
4.
a. Imposing or majestic in size and proportions; nobly or elegantly formed or built.
(a) Of an inanimate thing, as a building, town, mountain, etc.Also of a ship, now usually with some reference to its motion (cf. sense A. 1b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [adjective] > of large volume or bulky > and impressive
statelya1450
grand1595
a1450 ( Libel Eng. Policy (Laud) in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1861) II. 195 He had redy shippes..Grete and huge..Statelye inowgh on oure see to goo.
c1450 in C. L. Kingsford Chrons. London (1905) 142 And many moo good tovnys and stately villagis.
a1525 Bk. Chess 320 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1923) I Two ladyes had wp in a staitlie tovr In governans.
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. D2v Woodes hye, and decked with stately trees.
1613 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals I. i. 10 Or the Nymph of Kent, That statelyest Ships to sea hath euer sent.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. i. 25 This Prouince is mainely watered through the middle with stately Po.
1700 R. Cromwell Let. 27 Jan. in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1898) 13 116 A statly chine accompaned with a fatt Turkey.
a1763 W. Shenstone Progress of Taste ii. in Wks. Verse & Prose (1764) I. 271 The stately fort, the turrets tall, Portcullis'd gate, and battled wall.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 96 Many an evening by the waters did we watch the stately ships.
1877 Architect 4 Aug. 54/2 Within was another portico and a stately doorway, admitting to the megaron.
1914 Blackwood's Mag. Sept. 301/1 From the walls of stately cathedrals and monuments, they being dead may yet speak.
1940 E. Fergusson Our Southwest ix. 157 Mrs. Hayden found a stately adobe house with water piped in, an osage orange hedge around an orchard.
2002 New Scientist 7 Sept. 35/1 Stately veteran oaks stand tall in grassy clearings adorned with scattered copses.
(b) Of a person or animal, or a part of the body. Cf. sense A. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > proper pride or self-respect > [adjective] > dignified
estatelyc1374
burlya1400
portlyc1484
stately1496
great1547
stateful1604
commandinga1616
stately1725
presidential1804
dignifieda1812
splendid1833
1496 Treat. Fysshynge wyth Angle in Bk. St. Albans (rev. ed.) sig. hvi The Samon is the moost stately ffyssh that ony man maye angle to in fresshe water.
1578 M. T. in R. Edwards Paradyse Daynty Deuises (new ed.) sig. Ciiii The stately Stagge..by yalping hounds at bay is set.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler i. ix The Carp is the Queen of Rivers: a stately, a good, and a very subtle Fish.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 148 After them, came..at length the Basha himself, mounted on a stately Horse.
1704 Γλυκοπικρα 21 A stately Eagle did unto her bring, Which of the Feather'd Nation is the King.
1751 S. Richardson Clarissa (ed. 3) IV. v. 22 The swanny glossiness of a neck late so stately.
1815 Ld. Byron Wild Gazelle ii, in Hebrew Melodies 9 The cedars wave on Lebanon, But Judah's statelier maids are gone!
1849 W. E. Aytoun Lays Sc. Cavaliers 113 When they scent the stately deer.
1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola I. xix. 319 She looked up with one of her happy, loving smiles at the stately old man.
1907 F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (ed. 2 reissued) II. 488 A tall, dignified woman..and the mode in which her black hair towered above her forehead made her statelier still.
1951 M. Penn Foolish Virgin xv. 193 A stately bust which would have done credit to a Rubens goddess.
2005 Daily Tel. 17 Jan. 21/5 A grey-headed albatross, tall and stately.
b. Of sound, music, or a voice: majestically rich, harmonious, or resonant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > pleasantness of sound > [adjective] > majestic
stately1589
lofty1598
1589 J. Lea tr. D. F. R. de M. Answer Vntruthes 20 So was the name of Salomon, disperst and spred at large, By winged fame, in voice and stately song.
1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. iii. 75 Good heavens, what voice is this, how strange & stately.
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Cornw. 196 The Hall (rising above the rest) yieldeth a stately sound as one entereth it.
1786 Gentleman's Mag. June 512/1 The cliffs that wav'd, with oak and pine, And Etna's hoar romantic pile: And caught the bold Homeric note, Jn stately sounds exalting high The reign of bounteous Ptolemy.
1850 C. Kingsley Tennyson in Misc. (1860) I. 228 The stately calmness of the wood-dove's note.
1927 Harper's Mag. Oct. 644/1 Its solemn clonk-clonk, interpenetrating the stately repercussions of the main engines, was rarely heard on that ship.
2006 Time Out N.Y. 11 May 144/4 Lush guitar, gentle melodies and stately piano.
5.
a. Of language, style, or a literary work: characterized by formal elegance; elevated, grand. Also of a writer: skilled in or noted for such a style.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > ornateness > [adjective] > lofty or grandiloquent
magnificenta1460
statelya1525
magnifical1533
tragical1533
lofty1565
tragic1566
sublime1586
over-high1587
magnific1589
heroic1590
buskina1593
grandiloquous1593
full-mouthed1594
high-pitched1594
buskined1595
full-mouth1595
high-borne1596
altisonant1612
Roman1619
high-sounding1624
transcendent1631
magniloquent1640
loud1651
altiloquent1656
grandiloquent1656
largiloquent1656
altisonous1661
tall1670
elevate1673
grandisonous1674
sounding1683
exalted1684
grandisonant1684
grandific1727
magniloquous1727
orotund1799
superb1825
spread eagle1839
grandiose1840
magnisonanta1843
togated1868
elevated1875
mandarin1959
a1525 Bk. Sevyne Sagis l. 633 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 20 Ane staitly message than maid was On fra the king till Ypocras.
1579 T. Lodge Protogenes 23 Yf you had wanted your Mysteries of nature, & your stately storyes, your booke would haue scarce bene fedde wyth matter.
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Eiii He might tricke his speech with a few superficiall colours, but all his statly style were not woorth a strawe.
1641 J. Trapp Theologia Theol. 227 Plainly to the capacity of the Hearers,..not in a stately stile, or Roman English.
1685 J. Dryden Sylvæ Pref. sig. A6 Virgil..maintains Majesty in the midst of plainess;..and is stately without ambition, which is the vice of Lucan.
1740 W. Oldys Life Sir W. Ralegh 45 The stately Poem in Latin Hexameters..was undoubtedly, among other English Adventurers therein nam'd, chiefly intended for his Honour.
1807 W. Wordsworth Resolution & Independence in Poems I. 95 Choice word, and measured phrase; above the reach Of ordinary men; a stately speech!
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 404 That deficiency he did his best to conceal..by stately declamation.
1910 W. M. Dixon in A. W. Ward et al. Cambr. Hist. Eng. Lit. VI. ii. 31 His poetry can be as limpid as it is stately.
1986 A. Sultanik Film ii. 32 Mencken credits folklorists like Twain and Warner, rather than a more stately writer like Lowell, with creating the first signs of an indigenous literary voice.
2003 Times Higher Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 14 Nov. 19 The restrained, almost stately prose style of an 18th-century author.
b. Of the subject matter of a literary work or other piece of writing: noble, great; weighty.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > making greater in importance > made greater in importance
uphovenc1175
uplifteda1300
uplift1303
greata1400
stately1586
aggrandized1790
weighted1879
high-level1909
1586 T. Churchyard Epit. Sir P. Sidney Knight sig. A.ii From weake and base words, some stately and hie matter may be gathered.
1596 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) x. lxi. 268 Of which [sc. fleets and their commerce] shall be digested here the Progresse,..Though stately be the Subiect, and too slender be our Arte.
1644 J. Milton Of Educ. 5 Then will the choise Histories,..and Attic tragedies of statliest, and most regal argument..offer themselves.
1706 T. Taylor in B. Kennett et al. tr. R. Rapin Whole Crit. Wks. I. 315 Livy too had a great Advantage over Thucydides, from the Nature of his Subject; which was not only more Fortunate, but more Stately also and Magnificent.
1820 Retrosp. Rev. 1 i. 15 We long to see a stately subject for tragedy chosen by some living aspirant.
1904 A. J. Dawson Things seen in Morocco 23 A land which furnishes forth living pictures of the stateliest themes and characters of the Scriptures and the Thousand and One Nights.
1999 T. Y. Grande Marlovian Trag. i. 31 Marlowe deflates the stately subject matter and serious tone of tragedy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > [adjective]
frameeOE
goodeOE
mightyOE
vailanta1325
sicker1338
mightful1340
suffisant1340
virtuousa1387
effectivea1398
effectuala1398
worthya1398
availingc1420
effectuous?a1425
operant?a1425
substantialc1449
virtual?a1475
substantious1483
available1502
efficacious1528
energial1528
working1532
operatory1551
operatoriousa1555
stately1567
feckful1568
efficace?1572
shifty1585
operative1590
instrumental1601
efficable1607
speeding1612
effectuating1615
officious1618
availsome1619
prevailable1624
valid1651
perficient1659
affectuous1664
implemental1676
virtual1760
efficient1787
sufficient1831
slick1833
roadworthy1837
practician1863
positive1903
performant1977
1567 G. Turberville tr. G. B. Spagnoli Eglogs ii. f. 11 To make it playne in sight What force there rests in Venus flame, and shewe hir stately might.
1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 142v So statelie is the stroke of Cupids bow.
1662 R. Mathews Unlearned Alchymist (new ed.) 78 Make a Lixivium or stronge lye of Chalkes vive, or White-lime for this is most stately, and operates very potently.
7. Of, relating to, or characteristic of the State or a political state or states. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the state > [adjective]
stately1641
1641 J. Milton Of Reformation 73 What a perversenesse would it be in us of all others to retain forcibly a kind of imperious, and stately Election in our Church?
1852 L. Kossuth Speech 16 Jan. in Life 182 Be assured that no stately intervention will be required to enforce nonintervention as a law of nations.
1883 Macmillan's Mag. May 66/2 Others will..observe and dwell upon incidents of private life or features of social and religious custom, which the student of stately politics passes by.
2005 A. Umbreit Spitzbergen (ed. 3) 69 Stately administration is one of the newest activities in the archipelago.
B. n.
1. A stately person or thing (in various senses of the adjective). Also (with the and plural agreement): stately people as a class.In quot. 2009: a stately home.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > a dwelling > a house > types of house > [noun] > manor house
hallc1000
boroughc1175
court1297
manorc1300
palacec1300
mansion1375
placea1387
manor-place1392
chemis1408
head-place1463
mansion place1473
manse1490
court-hall1552
manery1563
manor house1575
seat1607
country seat1615
great house1623
mansion house1651
country house1664
manor-seata1667
place-house1675
mansion-seat1697
hall-house1702
big house1753
ha'-house1814
manoir1830
manor hall1840
yashiki1863
seigneury1895
stately home1934
stately2009
1566 T. Becon New Postil ii. f. 133v Wee shoulde vse humilitie, and beware of pride, and not saye after the maner of the stately: Who canne abyde thys drudgerie?
1675 To Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, upon Theater Oxf. (single sheet) Of all the Statelies in this Orbs dispose, The choicest Canton is reserv'd for those [etc.].
1690 J. Crowne Eng. Frier Pref. to Rdr. sig. A5 All the Statelies, Ranters, Coquets, Airy's and Half-wits.
1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 88 There are Women who think to act the Stately, by affronting every body.
1851 Fair Carew II. iv. 133 I am no friend to your great, big, stately things... But perhaps..you may like the statelies.
1878 J. H. Stirling Burns in Drama iv. ii. 44 The condescension of the statelies there who cut me now.
1880 Good Company 5 205/2 I saw that one by one the brilliant and the stately were rejected.
1969 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gaz. 7 Apr. 4 a/4 Cameo panty hose..come in sizes to fit all girls from the tall statelies to the tiny petites.
2009 D. Mitford All in One Basket (2011) 326 Mr Mandler seems to be unaware that the statelies have attendant cottages, farm roads and buildings.
2. With the. That which is stately (in various senses); esp. the grand and elevated style in literature.
ΚΠ
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas IV. xi. v. 295 He preferred the stately, or rather the grotesque in writing.
1877 D. R. Castleton Ruler's Daughter 161 As the varying measure changed, The stately, or the wild, At the young listener's changing cheek, The youthful speaker smiled.
1919 C. Aiken Scepticisms xi. 138 Mr. Pound..takes a naïve delight in booing at the stately.
1928 E. E. Kellett Reconsiderations i. 28 The Knight's Tale might easily have aimed at the sublime; it never really rises higher than the stately and the dignified.
1990 Spy Aug. 7 August..inspires..a sense that the majestic, the stately and the sublime require a more intense level of artificial cooling than one's own system..is capable of.
2001 R. Yarrow Indian Theatre iii. 82 Bhavai displays..the interweaving of the traditional and the contemporary, the stately and the comic.
Compounds
Forming parasynthetic adjectives.
ΚΠ
a1618 J. Sylvester Wood-mans Bear (1620) xli. sig. B3v Lilly-white she was, Straight proportion'd, stately-paced.
1777 T. Warton Poems 79 Whate'er adorns the stately-storied hall.
1872 Dark Blue Nov. 354 The stately-limbed Greeks had kings for their referees and poets for their reporters.
1920 C. M. Doughty Mansoul (1923) i. 20 That precious needle-work,..Fell gracious stately-pleated to Her feet.
2008 K. L. McDonald Perfect Love xix. 157 His young, stately proportioned Queen.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
statelyadv.
/ˈsteɪtli/, U.S. /ˈsteɪtli/ 1. In an imposing or majestic style; so as to have a noble or dignified appearance. Now rare.Chiefly with reference to building.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > splendour > [adverb] > magnificently
micklelyeOE
proudlya1225
noblyc1300
reallya1375
riallya1387
royallyc1405
rialc1425
stately?a1439
pompously1501
gorgeously1532
magnificly1538
princely1548
magnificentlya1552
magnifically1555
superbiously1569
grandly1647
splendidly1651
magnificously1683
superbly1763
grandiosely1841
splendiferously1841
regally1852
splendaciously1872
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iii. l. 2424 (MED) Ther was in Delos a temple thilk dai, Most statli bilt and set up be masouns.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis i. 1 Martyred in battayls, ere towne could statelye be buylded [L. dum conderet urbem], Or Gods theare setled.
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 266 When Ages grow to Ciuility and Elegancie, Men come to Build Stately, sooner then to Garden Finely.
1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes iii. 50 He met with a house very stately built.
1776 D. Herd Anc. & Mod. Sc. Songs (ed. 2) I. 146 Lord, Sen ze winnae gie me my hyre, Yon proud castle, sae stately built, I sall gar rock wi' the fyre.
a1830 D. L. Cottineau de Kloguen Hist. Sketch Goa (1831) 118 Their convent, situated in the eastern part of the town, is very large and very stately built.
1906 F. S. Kolle tr. A. Oehlenschläger Axel & Valborg i. 17 How you have grown! How strong and stately formed!
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > excellence > [adverb] > and nobly or splendidly
micklelyeOE
highlyeOE
freelyOE
dearworthlyc1230
gloriously1393
dearworthilya1400
farrandlyc1400
stately?a1439
finely?1552
gallantly1552
goldenly1580
rarely1581
sightly1592
superbly1769
splendidly1774
splendiferously1841
swell1856
in there1944
the mind > emotion > pride > ostentation > splendour, magnificence, or pomp > [adverb]
worthlyeOE
worthlyOE
worthily?c1225
reallya1375
proudc1384
riallya1387
royallyc1405
proudly?a1425
rialc1425
stately?a1439
personably1481
sumptuouslyc1487
magnificentlya1552
majestically1577
in state1580
palatially1867
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) ix. l. 2933 (MED) He and Philipot, his wiff, fro pouerte Been enhaunsid and rise to gret richesse; Tweyne of ther sonis statli maried bee.
c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) l. 2662 Where that love, as I ha tolde, Stately holdeth his housholde With his meyne in gladnesse.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 378 The King sitting in a Pauilion stately apparelled.
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. 84 Spaniards who thought nothing too good for us, and would entertain us stately.
ΚΠ
1448 J. Damme in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 29 And ther-to Mariot seyd stately that myght not be parformed.
1539 C. Tunstall Serm. Palme Sondaye sig. C Whiles a noble manne..dyd prostrate hym selfe..and kyssed his shoo, whyihe he stately suffered to be doone as of duetie.
1630 J. Taylor Wks. 151/2 It may bee thou wast put in office lately, Which makes thee rogue me so, and rayle so stately.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > arrogance > [adverb]
lordlya1398
statelya1450
succudrouslyc1480
insolentlya1513
arrogantly1529
imperiously1536
rufflingly1575
stuntly1581
huffingly1611
surlily1611
swaggeringly1611
controllingly1612
surlya1616
superbly1663
dictatorially1731
huffishly1755
dictatorily1788
bounceably1838
high-handedly1867
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adverb] > fittingly or properly
welleOE
fairOE
meetlyOE
rightOE
worthlylOE
haghelyc1175
worthilyc1175
becomelyc1200
properly?c1225
i-semelichec1275
thriftilyc1374
duly1382
sittinglyc1390
justlyc1392
rightfula1400
goodlyc1400
hemelyc1400
meeta1450
statelya1450
ensuingly?1518
handsomely1525
worshipfully1532
decently1552
due1581
meeterly1589
fairly1600
beseemingly1611
dightly1616
becomingly1624
befittingly1638
fittinglya1643
condecently1656
a1450 York Plays (1885) 222 We! þare sir, he skelpte oute of score [of money-changers in the Temple], Þat stately stode selland þer store.
1508 Bk. Keruynge (de Worde) sig. A.iiiv Yf ye wyll wrappe youre soueraynes brede stately ye muste square and proporcyon youre brede.
5. With dignified bearing, movement, or gait; slowly and elegantly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > proper pride or self-respect > [adverb] > with dignity
estatelyc1386
stately?1473
statelikec1485
majestically1577
portly1581
gravely1598
disposedlyc1610
statefully1610
statelily1611
statelich1612
dignifiedly1818
?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) II. lf. 265 She entrid in to the temple right stately.
1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour ii. sig. G.iii Sanct Eloy he doith staitly stand.
1584 J. Lyly Alexander, Campaspe, & Diogenes iii. iv. sig. D2 How stately she passeth bye, yet howe soberlie.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. ii. 202 A figure..Appeares before them, and with solemne march, Goes slowe and stately . View more context for this quotation
1651 J. Ogilby Fables of Æsop Paraphras'd iii. lv. 38 How stately move in a Coranto.
1735 J. Swift Clever Tom Clinch in Wks. II. 298 Clever Tom Clinch, while the Rabble was bawling, Rode stately through Holbourn.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho II. xii. 454 A tall Signor..who walks so stately.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. iv. 78 Both Earls moved slow and stately towards the entrance.
1858 G. MacDonald Phantastes iii Tiny, gaily decorated forms,..moving stately on.
1913 J. Hammond Everywoman's Road 85 (stage direction) The Spirit of Nature..goes stately from the stage left and out through left auditorium aisle.
1975 J. L. Anderson Night of Silent Drums iv. iv. 278 She walked stately like a queen.
2008 A. Klavan Empire of Lies 381 Small white clouds were sailing past..I could see their reflections moving stately across the lake.
Compounds
Combining with (chiefly participial) adjectives.
ΚΠ
1587 G. Turberville Tragicall Tales f. 25v Not forcing stately builded bowres, nor gallant garish tentes.
1592 T. Kyd Spanish Trag. iv. sig. K But to present a Kingly troupe withall, Giue me a stately written Tragedie.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. v. 183 The faire Peacock..Proud, portly-strouting, stalking, stately-graue.
1671 E. Chamberlayne 2nd Pt. Present State of Eng. (ed. 2) 276 The many stately built Taverns, Inns, and Coffee Houses, some whereof surpass all others in foreign parts.
1702 C. Beaumont J. Beaumont's Psyche (new ed.) vi. lxxxix. 75 The Glass..weep'd to see its stately-beautious face Dissolv'd by one short Touch.
1728 J. Thomson Spring 39 The stately-sailing Swan.
1835 Dublin Penny Jrnl. 31 Jan. 246/1 The stately swimming mallard.
1865 D. Livingstone & C. Livingstone Narr. Exped. Zambesi iv. 99 The stately stepping Marabout stalks slowly along the almost stagnant channels.
1900 Lippincott's Monthly Mag. Feb. 206 Madame Montmorency, stately-sailing creature, did not maintain her imperturbable affability.
2010 D. Bell Mask-makers & their Craft ii. 20 Westerners usually think of masquerade as a shallow event, recalling..slow, stately-moving parade personalities on floats.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.c1415
adv.?a1439