English word origin

Etymology of surly

16th-century alteration of sirly, from sir + -ly.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

adv

In an arrogant or supercilious manner.

adj

Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly. · Threatening, menacing, gloomy. · Lordly, arrogant, supercilious.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

16th-century alteration of sirly, from sir + -ly.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sir",
        "3": "ly",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "sir + -ly"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sirly",
      "sirly#English"
    ],
    [
      "sir",
      "sir#English"
    ],
    [
      "-ly",
      "-ly#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "In an arrogant or supercilious manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "2d22e2d2f512186f25f2e26c81919f151f1c46cac4c459801df1feee85749798",
      "rawRecordSha256": "403f8d2cf208e83370f3b96f3fad40198c73fa096c72f8d0e9e927e5855bdade",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 256329
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Irritated, bad-tempered, unfriendly.",
        "Threatening, menacing, gloomy.",
        "Lordly, arrogant, supercilious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "d2cd1f5cced3973fb379b4f6105a8b8a411f0889a489d81f411a3827f2128e6b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7cf4202d5051a16b649dc3e3dd29cf308e7efe33af6920c6940e89ea4d288d84",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 256328
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for surly →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c3VybHk