Lewedly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Archaically, in a way that shows lack of learning or knowledge ; in a low, coarse or morally base fashion
2. In the manner of someone unlettered or uninformed ; in a crude, vulgar or debased way
3. Showing ignorance or want of learning, as an old-fashioned adverb ; behaving in a base, lowly or coarse manner

Etymology: Before it meant anything shameful, this adverb described who was doing the knowing. It comes from Middle English "lewed," which descends from Old English "læwed," meaning "of the laity," the ordinary people who were not clergy. Since the laity were generally assumed to be unschooled in Latin and theology, "lewed" drifted to mean "unlearned" or "ignorant," and the adverb "lewedly" carried that sense: to act or speak in an unlearned way. The moral tone came later. Because unlearned people were often thought to be coarse or unrefined, "lewed" picked up connotations of base or vulgar behaviour, and by the later Middle Ages "lewdly" and "lewed" could mean wicked or sinful, especially in sexual matters. Modern English kept the sexual sense in "lewd" alone, while "lewedly" dropped out of use, so today it survives mainly in older texts and dictionaries.

Synonyms: ignorantly, unlearnedly

Antonyms: learnedly