Semely

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An archaic adjective describing something that looks pleasing, becoming, or fitting in its appearance and manner
2. Old-fashioned term for a person or thing that is graceful, handsome, or suitably presented to the eye
3. Describing something attractive in form or bearing, appropriate and agreeable to behold in older English

Etymology: "Semely" is a Middle English word meaning "seemly," and it is the older form of the adjective we still use for something fitting or proper. Its root is the verb "seem" in its Old English sense of "to be fitting" or "to become," not "to appear to be." So the word originally described what was becoming or suitable, and the sense of pleasing good looks came later, from the idea that something becoming is also attractive to the eye. The Old English ancestor was "semlic," built from "sēman," meaning to be fitting, plus the suffix "-lic," which gave the sense "having the quality of" and is the same ending found in "lovely" and "godly." The two words "seemly" and "seem" share a root, but "seemly" has kept the older meaning of propriety while "seem" moved toward appearance. Medieval writers used "semely" mainly to praise a person's graceful bearing or fair looks, which is the sense your definition records.

Synonyms: seemly, comely, decorous, becoming, proper

Antonyms: unseemly, indecorous