different between burly vs powerful

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b??li/

• Rhymes: -??(r)li

Etymology 1

From Middle English burly, burely, borly, burlich, borlich, borlic (“tall, stately”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots burely, burly (“rough, stout, sturdy, strong”). Perhaps from Old English *b?rl?? (“noble, stately”, literally “bowerly”), equivalent to bower +? -ly; or from Old English *byrl?? (“high, raised”), from byre (“raised area, mound”), cognate with Old High German burl?h, purl?h (“lofty, elevated, high, exalted”), related to Old High German burjan (“to raise, lift, push up”). See burgeon.

Alternative forms

• bowerly (dialectal)

Adjective

burly (comparative burlier, superlative burliest)

1. (usually of a man) Large, well-built, and muscular.
   • She was frankly disappointed. For some reason she had thought to discover a burglar of one or another accepted type—either a dashing cracksman in full-blown evening dress, lithe, polished, pantherish, or a common yegg, a red-eyed, unshaven burly brute in the rags and tatters of a tramp.

2. (Britain, East End of London, slang) Great, amazing, unbelievable.

3. (US, slang, surf culture and/or Southern California) Of large magnitude, either good or bad, and sometimes both.

Translations

Etymology 2

burl +? -y

Adjective

burly (comparative more burly, superlative most burly)

1. Full of burls or knots; knotty.

Middle English

Adjective

burly

1. Alternative form of burely

English

Alternative forms

• powreful, powrefull (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English pouerful, powarfull, equivalent to power +? -ful.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?pa??f?l/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?pa??f?l/
• Hyphenation: pow?er?ful

Adjective

powerful (comparative more powerful or powerfuller or powerfuler, superlative most powerful or powerfullest or powerfulest)

1. Having, or capable of exerting power, potency or influence.
2. (mining) Large; capacious; said of veins of ore.

Synonyms

• mightful
• mighty
• powersome
• strengthful
• strong
• forceful

Antonyms

• powerless
• strengthless

Translations

See also

• strong

Adverb

powerful (comparative more powerful, superlative most powerful)

1. (Southern US) Synonym of very

Anagrams

• powreful