goodlihead

English

Alternative forms

• goodlyhead

Etymology

From Middle English goodlihede, goodelyhede, equivalent to goodly +‎ -head.

Noun

goodlihead (uncountable)

1. (obsolete) The character or nature of a goodly person; goodliness.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     But mote thy goodlyhed forgiue it mee, / To weet, which of the Gods I shall thee name, / That vnto thee due worship I may rightly frame.

2. (archaic, poetic) Goodly appearance or looks; beauty.
   • 1893, Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell, The Living Age ...:

     The lilies, of great goodlihead, divinely tall, sway with a stately, languid grace; the Canterbury bells are all ringing.

   • 1943, Quintus (Smyrnaeus), Arthur Sanders Way, The Fall of Troy:

     Now, by the strength and fury of Hercules -- To whom in stature, might, and goodlihead Most like thou art I pray thee, have in mind Him, and resolve to match his deeds with thine.

   • 1950, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The wisdom of the sands:

     Let me but have my tea and sugar, my well-fed ass and my good wife at hand, and let my children wax in stature and goodlihead — then my cup is full, I crave nothing more.