burly

Meaning

Adjective

  • Large, well-built, and muscular.
  • Great, amazing, unbelievable.
  • Of large magnitude, either good or bad, and sometimes both.
  • Full of burls or knots; knotty.

Origin

  • From Middle English burly, burely, borly, burlich, borlich, borlic, of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots burely, burly. Perhaps from Old English *būrlīċ ("noble, stately"), equivalent to bower + -ly; or from Old English *byrlīċ ("high, raised"), from byre, cognate with Old High German burlīh, purlīh, related to Old High German burjan ("to raise, lift, push up"). See burgeon.
  • burl + -y

Modern English dictionary

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