Talk:ferly
The definitions I've seen agree on the "amazing" compenent of the meaning (whether or not the word "amazing" is used). But the definition here seems to then move to negative shadings of that, whereas some others tend to move towards positive shadings ("wonderful, amazing"). Can it be either positive or negative, or is only one correct? Or is it neutral? — This unsigned comment was added by 129.170.67.140 (talk).
Middle English citations[edit]
- no ferly:
- Thou art but a fauntekein, no ferly me thinkes! — Alliterative Morte Arthure
- adjective:
- Wha herkned evere slyk a ferly þyng? — Geoffrey Chaucer, The Reeve's Tale
I moved these from the entry, as they are Middle English, and therefore inappropriate in an English section. - -sche (discuss) 01:46, 24 April 2012 (UTC)
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Supposedly English. Has one citation, but it's apparently Scots. Google Books turns up Middle English, Scots and scannos. - -sche (discuss) 05:45, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
- However, It wouldn't surprise me if this were attested in an entirely different sense, namely "eye dialect of fairly". - -sche (discuss) 05:45, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
- The OED has entries for noun, adjective, verb and adverb. All marked as obsolete in English (though probably preserved in Scots) except for our noun sense which is "chiefly Scottish English and dialect". The most recent cite is from "N. Davis & C. L. Wrenn Eng. & Medieval Stud." (1962) but C Day Lewis used the noun in Time to Dance in 1935. Dbfirs 07:07, 13 July 2014 (UTC)
- RFV-failed; entry converted to Scots. - -sche (discuss) 21:20, 1 February 2015 (UTC)
Also verb?[edit]
Chambers 1908 also gives it as a verb, "to wonder" (evidently in the sense of feeling awe, not curiosity). Equinox ◑ 11:29, 28 August 2019 (UTC)