[f. WEAK a. + -LY2.] In a weak manner.
1. With little energy, force or strength; † with gentle action, softly (obs.).
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XII. xxvii. (1495), 429. A kite is weke in flyghte and in strengthe and is callyd Miluus as it were weekely fleenge [L. molliter volans].
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 697. Waynour waykly wepande hym kyssiz.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 155 b. By more easy meanes commeth to perfeccyon, whiche they slowly & weykly or fayntly desyre.
1600. Surflet, Country Farm, III. ix. 441. For the yong plant which can attract & draw but weakly, & at hand any substance for it selfe, will hardly [etc.].
a. 1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 33. It is very probable that the Motion of Grauitie worketh weakly, both farre from the Earth, and also within the Earth.
1641. Symonds, Serm. bef. Ho. of Comm., B iiij b. An arrow weakly shot, will fall short of the mark.
1657. Baxter, Present Th., 12. Grace may act weaklier than it did before.
1715. Desaguliers, Fires Impr., 11. Upon account of their distance from the Fire, they are but very weakly reflected.
1876. Papillon, Man. Comp. Philol., 69. Final m [in Latin] … must have been weakly pronounced.
b. In a weak or enfeebled condition. Also transf.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 10151. Philmen … the gome hit,… gert hym to stoupe, Þat he wauerit þerwith, & weikly he sete.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XIX. xii. 794. Thenne the wounded knyghte syr Vrre sette hym vp weykely.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., xl. (Percy Soc.), 202. In his hand he hadde A croked staffe; he wente full wekely.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. i. 45. As one out of a deadly dreame allright, She weakely started, yet she nothing drad.
1606. Sir E. Coke, in True & Perf. Relat., T 3 b. This paper of his Retractation, which hee had weakely and dyingly subscribed.
1844. Mrs. Browning, Lost Bower, lxix. By this couch I weakly lie on, While I count my memories.
† 2. Insecurely, unsubstantially. Obs.
1522. Bp. Foxe, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. II. II. 8. Also my Lord, I have not soo sklenderly buylded my selve, nor soo weykly estableshed my house in thies parties, that I can honestely or conveniently so sodenly depart hens.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 123. That supposition is but weakly founded, at least in my apprehension.
1784. Cook’s 3rd Voy., I. Introd. 12. The visits were … so transient, that it was scarcely possible to build upon a foundation, so weakly laid, any information that could even gratify idle curiosity.
b. With weakness of constitution.
1613. Shaks., Hen. VIII., II. iii. 40. Old Lady. Haue you limbs To beare that load of Title? Anne Bullen. No in truth. Old Lady. Then you are weakly made.
3. With slight defensive strength.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 60. Our state eke and persons may not thus weaklye be shielded.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., II. i. 74. ’Tis sure they found some place, But weakely guarded, where the breach was made. Ibid. (1593), Lucr., 28. Honour and Beautie in the owners armes, Are weaklie fortrest from a world of harmes.
1680. Cotton, Gamester (ed. 2), 52. When you find your adversaries King any way weakly guarded.
1705. Addison, Italy, Pesaro, 145. Some have wonder’d that the Turk never attacks this Treasury, since it … is so weakly guarded.
1921. Times Lit. Suppl., 3 Feb., 67/3. Haig … was quite right to hold the southern end of his line … more weakly than the rest.
4. With deficiency of numbers or amount; sparsely, meagerly. ? Obs.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. xiii. § 7. 52. If a shooemaker should haue no shooes in his shoppe, but onely worke, as hee is bespoken, hee should bee weakely customed.
a. 1649. Winthrop, Hist. N. Eng. (1853), II. 232. Here came a pinnace … for procuring powder … but we were weakly provided ourselves.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. i. 112. The capstan was so weakly manned, that it was near four hours before we hove the cable right up and down.
b. In a slight degree; to a small extent or amount.
1775. Phil. Trans., LXVI. 204. A battery so weakly electrified that its shock will not pass through a chain.
1789–96. Morse, Amer. Geog., I. 617. The waters weakly mineralized.
1805. W. Saunders, Min. Waters, 557. The ochre … is, when dry, weakly magnetic.
1805. T. Weaver, trans. Werner’s Ext. Charact. Fossils, 191. Solid fossils that stain … either strongly or weakly.
1827. Faraday, Chem. Manip., xvii. (1842), 450. This may be done … by bringing the body, if weakly electrified, into contact with the cap.
5. With weakness of mind or character; with lack of mental grasp or firmness of will.
1610. Shaks., Temp., II. i. 188. I will not aduenture my discretion so weakly.
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacræ, III. iv. § 1. The meaning is not that all mankind was made of the same uniform matter, as the authour of the Præ-Adamites weakly imagined.
1671. Milton, Samson, 50. Who this high gift of strength committed to me,… Under the Seal of silence could not keep, But weakly to a woman must reveal it.
1705. S. Clarke, Disc. Nat. Relig., vi. Wks. 1738, 11. 661. Plato, after having delivered very noble … Truths concerning the Nature and Attributes of the Supreme God, weakly advises Men to worship likewise Inferiour Gods.
1864. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., III. 208. What may strike you as weakly fanciful in my desire.
1885. ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ At Bay, vii. He was weakly credulous.
1892. Lady F. Verney, Verney Mem., I. 267. She was not at all inclined to be weakly indulgent.
6. With little vigor of action, inefficiently.
1663. Jer. Taylor, Serm. Funeral Abp. Armagh, 1. The Condition of Man in this world is so limited … that the best things he does he does weakly.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 162, ¶ 4. We please our pride with the effects of our influence thus weakly exerted.
1853. Dickens, Bleak Ho., xiii. Mr. Boythorn, who interested himself strongly in the subject—though I need not say that, for he could do nothing weakly.
1905. Ld. E. Fitzmaurice, Life Ld. Granville, I. xv. 430. Mr. Lowe considered that he had been but weakly defended by some of his colleagues in the House of Commons.
7. With little force of argument; unconvincingly.
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacræ, III. i. § 7. Now I appeal to the reason of any Person … Whether either of these two Hypotheses … be not far more weakly proved, then the existence of a Deity is.
1855. Pusey, Doctr. Real Presence in Fathers, Note F 73. He is blamed by others, as exposing the doctrine which he defends weakly.
1870. Emerson, Soc. & Solit., i. 9. He spoke weakly, and from the point, like a flighty girl.
