wilily

adv.

WA willyly

'with guile' (Modern English wilily)

Etymology

Formed on wyly (adj.); see further wyles (n.).

PGmc Ancestor

(1) *wīl-; (2) wīgel-; (4) ?*wihl

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

(4) vél (n.) ‘wile, device, trick’ 
(ONP (4) vél (1) (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

DD1

Attestation

This relatively uncommon adv. is cited from scattered sources, though the first attestations in OED and MED are notably from alliterative poetry dating from the late 14c. The n. is attested much earlier, and both the n. and adj. are widespread by the 14c: see wyles (n.) and wyly (adj.).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 1764

Bibliography

MED wīlī̆lī (adv.) , OED wilily (adv.) , HTOED ; see further wyly (adj.) and wyles (n.).