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adverb · 2 syllables · /'ɡeɪ.li/

GAYLY

What does "GAYLY" mean?

In a merry, lively, or brightly colored manner; an older spelling of 'gaily'.

Meanings

  1. Cheerfully, merrily, or with bright festivity. The flags fluttered gayly above the fairground. archaic

Word origin

From 'gay' plus the adverbial '-ly', from Old French 'gai' (joyful); 'gaily' is now the standard spelling, with 'gayly' an older variant.

Remember it

GAYLY = GAY + LY, an adverb wearing its old coat; modern English swaps the Y for an I to make 'gaily'.

A little poem

Spelled the old way, it still steps light and free-
the dance survives the dropped and altered E.

couplet

What it teaches

Spelling is a costume, not the dance; the joy a word carries outlives the letters it is dressed in.

Quick facts

What does GAYLY mean?

In a merry, lively, or brightly colored manner; an older spelling of 'gaily'.

Is GAYLY a valid word?

Yes — GAYLY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is GAYLY?

GAYLY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does GAYLY come from?

From 'gay' plus the adverbial '-ly', from Old French 'gai' (joyful); 'gaily' is now the standard spelling, with 'gayly' an older variant.

What can GAYLY teach us?

Spelling is a costume, not the dance; the joy a word carries outlives the letters it is dressed in.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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