different between seemly vs seedly

English

Etymology

From Middle English semely, semelich, semelike, from Old Norse sœmiligr (“seemly”); equivalent to seem +? -ly. Cognate with Icelandic sæmilegur (“seemly, passable”), Danish sømmelig (“seemly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?si?mli/

Adjective

seemly (comparative seemlier, superlative seemliest)

1. (of behavior) Appropriate; suited to the occasion or purpose; becoming.

   His behavior was seemly, as befits a gentleman.

   • 1594, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie

     Suspense of judgment and exercise of charity were safer and seemlier for Christian men than the hot pursuit of these controversies.

Synonyms

• apposite

Antonyms

• unseemly

Derived terms

• seemlihead
• seemlily
• seemliness

Translations

Adverb

seemly (comparative more seemly, superlative most seemly)

1. Appropriately, fittingly.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.i:

     The great earthes wombe they open to the sky, / And with sad Cypresse seemely it embraue [...].

Anagrams

• Mesley, Semley

English

Etymology

From seed +? -ly.

Adjective

seedly (comparative more seedly, superlative most seedly)

1. (nonstandard) Of, like, or relating to seeds; producing or bearing seeds; seedy.
   • 1829, Joshua Major, A treatise on the insects most prevalent on fruit trees and garden ...:

     The Onion, while in its seedly state is liable to be injured by the Slugs.

   • 1894, Adolf Bastian, Zur mythologie und psychologie der Nigritier in Guinea ...:

     The Kra of the sheep, when the sheep is killed, enters a new-born lamb and the ghost-sheep goes to the deadland for the use of ghost men« (s. Ellis), the Kra of the bush enters a seedly bush (the ghost-bush goes to deadland).

   • 1992, Baltasar Gracian, wit, and the Baroque Age: a rhetorical study:

     Another friend made all this explanation more detailed and informative: she added that a kiwi also looked, tasted, and was shaped like the prickly pear; she considered other details such as their sharing a seedly flesh, and their enhanced ...

2. (nonstandard) Misspelling of seedy.
   • 1916, Southern pharmaceutical journal:

     After examining the contents the chemist replied: "Why, this is iron Pyrites, commonly known as fool's gold." "What is it worth?" asked the seedly individual. "Oh, about $4.00 a ton in car lots." "Just my luck," exclaimed the questioner.

Anagrams

• Leedys, Sedley, sleyed