Statelie

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a grand, dignified bearing and an imposing, majestic appearance that commands respect
2. Describing something or someone with an imposing, formal dignity that suggests grandeur and noble poise
3. Characterized by a majestic and unhurried dignity, especially in bearing, architecture, or manner

Etymology: "Statelie" is an older spelling of "stately," and the word is a simple pairing of "state" and the suffix "-ly." The root "state" once meant a person's condition or rank, and by the late Middle English period it had also come to mean ceremonial grandeur, the splendor that goes with a throne or a royal household. Its ultimate source is Latin "status," meaning "standing" or "condition," from the verb "stare," "to stand," which passed into English through Old French "estat." The suffix "-ly" comes from Old English "-lic," meaning "having the form or quality of," so "stately" literally means "having state," or having the dignity and bearing of high rank. Spellings like "statelie" reflect the looser spelling conventions of earlier centuries, before the modern form became standard.