churly

English

Etymology

From Middle English cherly, cherlich, cherllich, charlyche, equivalent to churl +‎ -ly, but often interpreted as churl +‎ -y. Compare English churlish.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /tʃɜːli/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɝli/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)li

Adjective

churly (comparative churlier, superlative churliest)

1. (archaic) rude; churlish; violent
   • 1863 November 23, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Musician’s Tale. The Saga of King Olaf.”, in Tales of a Wayside Inn, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:

     He was the churliest of the churls;
     Little he cared for king or earls;
     Bitter as home-brewed ale were his foaming passions

References

“churly”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• lurchy