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burlinesses

 - 2 dictionary results

bur⋅ly

  [bur-lee]
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–adjective, -li⋅er, -li⋅est.
1. large in bodily size; stout; sturdy.
2. bluff; brusque.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME borli, burli, OE borlīce (adv.) excellently, equiv. to bor(a) ruler + -līce -ly

Related forms:
bur⋅li⋅ly, adverb
bur⋅li⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. strapping, stocky, brawny, thickset, beefy, hefty.

Antonyms:
1. puny, weak, frail.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

burly 
c.1300, perhaps from O.E. burlic "noble, stately," lit. "bowerly," fit to frequent a lady's apartment (see bower). Sense descended through "stout," and "sturdy" by 15c. to "heavily built." Another theory connects the original word to O.H.G. burlih "lofty, exalted," related to burjan "to raise, lift."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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