adv. Forms: see SURE a.; also 4 surliche, surlych, comp. surlokere, 4–6 surly, -lie, 6 shorly, showrly, suuerlie. [f. SURE a. + -LY2.] In a sure manner.
I. Expressing the manner of an action, etc.
1. Without danger, or risk of injury, loss or displacement; securely, safely; firmly. arch.
13[?]. Sir Beues (A.), 2559. Hii þouȝten … He wolde hem surliche lede.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), ix. 34. He myght seurly dwell in þat citee withouten … any harme takyng.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1236. The souerayn hym-seluon was surly enarmyt.
1464. Paston Lett., Suppl. (1901), 85. I charge you … ye suffer noon of thayme to passe oute of your garde, but suerle to kepe thaym.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 32. The husband may set shepe … vnder the same scaffold … if it be well and surely made.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, cxxiv. 449. Grauell to balayse his shyp withal that it myght sayle the more suerlyer.
1615. W. Lawson, Country Housew. Garden (1626), 22. Your stakes … would be so surely put … that they breake not, if any thing happen to leane vpon them.
1648. Gage, West Ind., xix. 140. The Indian must be … surely tied to a post by his hands.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 585. Thus surely bound, yet … The slipp’ry God will try to loose his hold.
1834. Lyte, Hymn, ‘Praise, Lord, for Thee in Zion waits,’ iii. How blest Thy saints! how safely led! How surely kept!
† b. With security or stability of obligation or loyalty; steadfastly. Obs.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 1281. Ac arst þow schalt sykery me, & þy treuþe surly plyȝte, Þat þou for me schalt don a þyng þat y schal the saye.
c. 1450. Godstow Reg., 660. Wherfor he willed and comaunded surely that the forsaid mynchons shold haue and holde all ther almesse and possessions.
1465. Paston Lett., II. 209. I shall have the maner sewrlyer to me … than the Dewk shall have Cossey.
1561. Winȝet, Four Scoir Thre Quest., § 9. Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 78. Keipand suirlie the articulis of our beleif.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., IV. ii. 36. That I may surely keepe mine oath.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. xii. 2. Whom all the bands, Which may a Knight assure, had surely bound.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus ii. 14 (1619), 513. Whose bonds are … binding them euery day surelier then other ouer to destruction.
2. With certainty, assurance or confidence; for certain; undoubtingly, confidently. arch.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., C. 315. Ȝet surely I hope, Efte to trede on þy temple.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 520. Wanne þy hert ys hol & fer þe surlokere þou miȝt fiȝte.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 1561. Ȝet þis we mow wyton & know seurly Þat god [etc.].
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 255/2. The bisshop … wente oute ageynst the enemyes surely and the peple folowed hym.
1529. More, Dyaloge, III. v. 76/2. And than yt case onys graunted, ye deduce your conclusyon very surely.
a. 1530. in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. I. I. 304. I trowst showrly to come vp to Londone.
1533. Gau, Richt Vay, 8. To traist suuerlie al time guid of hime as of thair maist tender fader.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. IV., 232 b. Spekyng these wordes (thinking surely much to please the kyng).
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 115. He beleivit suirelie that the king had beine thair.
1629. Milton, Hymn Nativ., iv. As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by.
1820. Keats, Lamia, II. 113. Knowing surely she could never win His foolish heart from its mad pompousness.
3. So as to be certain to achieve or reach a result, or end; without risk of failure; infallibly.
Now chiefly in slowly but surely.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 2456. Serche it full suerly, and se to þe ende.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon., ii. (1885), 113. The prince … mey therby þe more surely do justice than bi is owne arbitrment.
1495. Trevisa’s Barth De P. R., V. xxviii. (W. de W.), i ij/2. Noo party of the body towchyth and gropyth so surely as the honde.
c. 1520. Everyman, 147. Yf I sholde this pylgrymage take, And my rekenynge suerly make,… Sholde I not come agayne shortly?
1612. Brinsley, Lud. Lit., xiii. (1627), 181. The most excellent patterns … doe mnost auaile, to teach the soonest and sureliest.
1653. Baxter, Chr. Concord, 13. That … their duties…: may be the surelier performed.
1754. Sherlock, Disc. (1759), I. i. 3. The best Religion is that which will most surely direct us to eternal Life.
1873. E. Spon, Workshop Rec., Ser. I. 3/2. If a drawing could be … surely made without mistake … it might be made in ink.
1912. W. B. Selbie, Nonconformity, xii. 228. These things are slowly but surely coming about.
† b. Soundly, thoroughly. Obs. rare.
App. confused with SORELY.
c. 1450. trans. Higden, Harl. Contin. (Rolls), VIII. 479. The Lollardes bytoke that Frere and trode hym under theire feete and bete hym surely.
1513. Life Hen. V. (1911), 17. And some time at such enterprises both he and his Companie weare surelie beaten.
II. Qualifying a statement.
4. Certainly, assuredly, undoubtedly. Often with less emphasis, as a mere intensive: Truly, verily, indeed.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1643. Hit is surely soth, þe souerayn of heuen Fylsened euer þy fader.
c. 1375. Cursor M., 23031 (Fairf.). Þaire penaunce sal be seurely To loke on þa deuels witerli.
c. 1400. Beryn, 2316. And ȝit suyrly I mervell nat þouȝ þat it be so.
c. 1450. Lovelich, Grail, lv. 116. ‘How May I this beleve?’ quod Aleyn, ‘ȝis sewrly,’ quod the kyng, ‘In Certeyn.’
1530. Palsgr., 866/2. Ye suerly, voyre certes.
1592. Arden of Feversham, IV. iv. 26. As surely as I liue, Ile banish pittie if thou vse me thus.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., I. 22. The principal amang the tounes is halden (surlie) Edinburgh.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., III. ii. 126. Ile pay’t as valorously as I may, that sal I suerly do.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., III. 171. Abimelech … seeing Isaac sporting with Rebecca, concluded thereupon that she was surely his Wife.
1831. Scott, Ct. Robt., xx. Alas! they seem but too surely to be here.
1845. Ford, Handbk. Spain, I. 16. Money makes the mare and its driver to go as surely in Spain as in all other countries.
1850. Tennyson, In Mem., xxx. Surely rest is meet.
1867. H. Macmillan, Bible Teach., x. (1870), 208. As surely as the leaf fades, so surely shall we fade.
1907. Grandgent, Introd. Vulgar Latin, § 251. Initial h was surely very feeble and often silent during the Republic.
(b) As an affirmative answer: cf. SURE adv. 3 c.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xii. ‘Know you Cumnor-place, near Oxford?’ ‘Surely,’ said the clergyman.
b. Used to express a strong belief in the statement, on the basis of experience or probability, but without absolute proof, or as implying a readiness to maintain it against imaginary or possible denial: = as may be confidently supposed; as must be the case; may not one be sure that…? (The chief current sense.)
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., I. ii. 93. Greene indeed is the colour of Louers: but to haue a Loue of that colour, methinkes Sampson had small reason for it. He surely affected her for her wit.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 923. Had’st thou alleg’d To thy deserted host this cause of flight, Thou surely hadst not come sole fugitive.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 302, ¶ 7. Surely never did such a Philosophic Soul inhabit such a beauteous Form!
1732. Berkeley, Alciphr., I. § 16. You will not surely deny the conclusion, when you admit the premises?
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, xxxiii. ‘Surely, Annette,’ said Emily, starting. ‘I heard a noise: listen.’
1832. Ht. Martineau, Ella of Gar., ii. 21. Twelve [mile]! it cannot be so much surely.
1846. Dickens, Cricket on Hearth, i. The might know better than to leave their clocks so very lank and unprotected, surely.
1870. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (ed. 2), I. App. 679. This incident is surely an essential part of the story.
1891. Farrar, Darkn. & Dawn, xxxvi. Surely it could not fail!
1908. R. Bagot, A. Cuthbert, xxviii. 373. If Anthony will forgive me, surely God will!
c. With the second syllable stressed and lengthened, in prec. sense, or as a mere intensive. dial. or vulgar colloq.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., vi. ‘Reg’lar good land that,’ interposed another fat man. ‘And so it is, sure-ly,’ said a third fat man.
1859. Lang, Wand. India, 253. He did love her, surely, sir.
1864. Tennyson, Northern Farmer, O. S., xiv. What a man a beä sewer-loy!
