comely
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What is the definition and pronunciation of the word “comely”?
It's Merriam Webster's word of the day for july thirty first. Today's word is cumli, spelled C O M E L Y. Cumli is an adjective. It's an adjective with an old fashioned and literary feel that describes someone or something that has a pleasing appearance or that is pretty or attractive.
How is “comely” illustrated with a real‑world example from the New York Times?
Here's the word used in a sentence from the New York Times. One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Berlin ten years ago was something odd about the pigeons here. Some of them were pretty, far comelier than Manhattan pigeons. Comely, especially when compared to its more common synonyms, including lovely, handsome, and beautiful, has an old fashioned flair.
Why do modern historical‑fantasy writers favor “comely” over synonyms like lovely or handsome?
These days, it's used especially by writers of historical fantasy to modify words referring to women, such as maiden and damsel, that also suggest real or imagined days of castles and courts. but comely need not be restricted to such uses, and indeed it historically was not. Its oldest meaning in English, from the fourteenth century and still used to day, describes things that conform pleasurably to notions of good appearance, suitability, or proportion, as when Willa Cather wrote, that they observed all that was neat and comely, Comely is not etymologically related to the familiar verb come that also forms part of the word come hither, as in come hither glances.
What is the etymology of “comely” and how does it differ from the verb “come”?
It instead traces back to the Old English word kimlik, meaning glorious, which in turn comes from chem, meaning lively or fine. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit MarionWebster dot com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the definition and pronunciation of the word “comely”?
0:06–0:29
2
How is “comely” illustrated with a real‑world example from the New York Times?
0:29–0:54
3
Why do modern historical‑fantasy writers favor “comely” over synonyms like lovely or handsome?
0:54–1:41
4
What is the etymology of “comely” and how does it differ from the verb “come”?
1:41–2:03