burly
- (usually) Large, well-built, and muscular.
- (British, slang) Great, amazing, unbelievable.
- (US, slang) Of large magnitude, either good or bad, and sometimes both.
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈbɜːli/
Etymology
In summary
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 *būrlīċ (“noble, stately”, literally “bowerly”), equivalent to bower + -ly; or from Old English *byrlīċ (“high, raised”), from byre (“raised area, mound”), cognate with Old High German burlīh, purlīh (“lofty, elevated, high, exalted”), related to Old High German burjan (“to raise, lift, push up”), English burgeon. However, Irish burla (“bundle, pack; burly person”) points to a different origin.
square-built
heavy-bodied
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