Etymology

Ferly (adj.) + -ly suffix. See ferly (adj.).

PGmc Ancestor

(1) *fēr-; (2) *fera; (3) *fer(e)r-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

 ferligr ‘monstrous’
(ONP ferligr (adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

(1) fǣrlic ‘sudden, unexpected; sudden, rapid (action); accidental’; (2) cp. firen ‘wicked deed, violence, torment’; (3) feorr 'far, removed'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

DD1c

Attestation

hapax legomenon

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 1460

Menner emends to ferlyche and thus reads an instance of ferly (adj.).

Bibliography

MED fē̆rlī̆lē (adj.) ; see further ferly (adj.).