undeadly

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English undedly, undeedly, undedlich, from Old English undēadlīc (“immortal, for all eternity”), equivalent to undead +‎ -ly.

Adjective

undeadly (not comparable)

1. Not subject to death; immortal.
   • 1846, Miles Coverdale, Remains of Myles Coverdale:

     "The soul also hath her death, namely, when it lacketh and is destitute of the eternal and godly life, which truly and justly is called the life of the soul: but undeadly or immortal is it called, because it never ceaseth to live, how miserable soever the life of it be. [...]"

   • 1852, Alfred (King of England), The whole works of King Alfred the Great:

     He aye was and aye shall be, undeadly and everlasting.

   • 1957, Ray C. Petry, Late Medieval Mysticism:

     And also a soul in this state is dwelling between the terms of deadly life and undeadly life.

   • 1979, Frieda Elaine Penninger, William Caxton:

     But I believe that the undeadly gods have spread and sown the souls within the bodies of mankind to the intent that the men should see and inhabit the countries, [...]

   • 2001, Lynn Kurland, Stardust of Yesterday:

     Tempting as it was to hang up on the man and be done with it, that wouldn't do. Who knew what sort of undeadly minions de Piaget was capable of commanding.

2. Unable to be killed, quenched, or terminated; eternal; everlasting.
   • 1993, William Kaplan, Donald Malcolm McRae, Maxwell Cohen, Law, Policy and International Justice:

     Much of his subsequent work related to processes for resolving what he once called "undeadly quarrels" in the international arena.

3. Of or pertaining to the undead.

Derived terms

• undeadliness

Adverb

undeadly (comparative more undeadly, superlative most undeadly)

1. Immortally; eternally.
   • 2009, Colleen Gleason, As Shadows Fade:

     [...] and it had been Sebastian's fault that her husband was no longer living undeadly by her side.

   • 2009, Dakota Cassidy, The Accidental Human:

     Today, almost eight months since they'd met, and sharing her house for four of those months now, Wanda was more in love with Heath than she ever thought was humanly, er, undeadly possible.

Etymology 2

From un- +‎ deadly.

Adjective

undeadly (not comparable)

1. Not deadly; not causing, producing, or resulting in death; harmless.
   • 1886, Homer, Homer's Iliad:

     Ulysses, knowing well The wound undeadly (setting back his foot to form his stand) Thus spake to Socus: "O thou wretch, thy death is in this hand, That stay'st my victory on Troy, and where thy charge was made In doubtful term [...]"

   • 2002, John Graves, Goodbye to a River: A Narrative:

     [...] among boulders with my weapons deadly and undeadly.

   • 2004, Troy Blacklaws, Karoo boy:

     She does not care if it is a tobaccoroller or molesnake or any undeadly animal.

   • 2012, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day:

     [...] each surrounded by a luminous contour, and hang an instant in space, as time slowed and each permutation of shapes appeared, to begin their gentle, undeadly descent, [...]