Verily

adv. (and a.). Now arch. or rhet. Forms: α. 4 verrailiche, verrayle, 4–5 verrayly (4 varrayly), verraily, 4–6 verayly, 5 veraily; 4 verei-, ver(r)eyliche, verreyly, -li, verreili, 4–5 -ly, 5 verreilly. β. 4 verali, 4–6 veraly, 4–5 verraly, 5 verralye, 5–6 -ie, 6 veralie, 5 Sc. wer(r)aly, weralie. γ. 5 verelyche, -liche, 4–5 verrely, 5 vereli, 5–6 verelye, 5–7 verely, 6 verelie, verrelle, Sc. werelie. δ. 4 verilyche, verrylyk, verrili, 4–5 verry-, verrily (5 varily), 5–8 veryly, 6 verilye, Sc. verie-, weri(e)-, verrilie, 5– verily. [f. VERY a. + -LY². Cf. next and VERAMENT adv.]

  A.  adv. In truth or verity; as a matter of truth or fact; in deed, fact or reality; really, truly.

  Freq., latterly almost entirely, used as an emphatic affirmation of the truth of a statement, esp. with verbs of believing, thinking, etc. In ME. and older Sc. poetry often used as a mere rime-tag.

  α.  a. 1300.  Cursor M., 17288 + 422. Þai … told þam [sc. the apostles] openly, How þai saȝe crist & with him spake, on-liue ful verraily.

c. 1340.  Hampole, Pr. Consc., 9239. Þe nerrer þat þai sal hym be, Þe verreylyer þai sal hym se.

1387.  Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), I. 177. So þat þe raþer welles beeþ now but lakes, oþer more vereyliche dreye chanels wiþ oute watir.

c. 1400.  Maundev. (Roxb.), xv. 70. Þe whilk … descryued me þe maners of oþer cuntrees … als graythely and als verraily as þai had bene euer ȝit dwelland in þam.

c. 1430.  Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, I. lxxxvii. (1869), 49. With inne this bred al the souereyn good is put,… presentliche and verreyliche.

c. 1450.  Mir. Saluacioun (Roxb.), 44. This prophecie was fullfillid in dede fulle verrayly.

1485.  Caxton, Paris & V. (1868), 33. Knowe ye verayly that it is not longe sythen, that the sayd Iewels were … gyuen to me.

  β.  a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter cxviii. 175. My saule sall verraly & perfitly loue þe in new sange.

c. 1350.  Will. Palerne, 5197. I schal hastili me hiȝe … to venge þe verali for ouȝt þat bi-tideþ.

1422.  Yonge, trans. Secreta Secret., 135. Who so weraly desyryth good rennoune he shall be renounet and preysid.

c. 1470.  Golagros & Gaw., 1036. Me think farar to dee, Than schamyt be, verralie, Ane sclander to byde.

1508.  Dunbar, Poems, iv. 90. Gud Maister Walter Kennedy, In poynt of dede lyis veraly.

1562.  Winȝet, Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 87. Gif ȝe beleue that our Saluiour did thir thingis veralie and indeid.

  γ.  c. 1374.  Chaucer, Boeth., IV. pr. iv. (1868), 127. Whan I considre þi resouns, quod I, I ne trowe nat þat men seyn any þing more verrely.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 399. Lazar and oþer weren verely deede, and verely reysid by Crist to lyve.

14[?].  Sir Beues (O.), 2577. I thanke you, sayde Beuys, verely.

c. 1460.  Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1885), 153. Wich materes thrugly considered, it semyth verely good, þat [etc.].

a. 1513.  Fabyan, Chron. (1516), 27/1. Whenne he had reygned or more verely vsurped by the terme of .iiii. yeres.

1568.  Grafton, Chron., II. 295. I think verely by his valyantnesse that he will not flie.

1594.  Plat, Jewell-ho., II. 7. I doo verely beleeue y^t the spirit of God … did make them to be of that nature.

a. 1647.  Habington, Surv. Worcs. (Worc. Hist. Soc.), II. 301. The father, I verely thincke, of Sir Walter Skule.

  δ.  1303.  R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 10045. Whan þe vble was on þe auter leyd,… Alle þre þoȝt þan verrylyk, Before þe prest, þat a chyld lay quyk.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 374. Þei knowen verrili how þat Crist is Goddis Sone.

c. 1410.  Sir Cleges, 305. The vsscher lyfte vp the lede smartly, And sawe the cheryse verily.

1451.  Paston Lett., I. 215. If he wold make yow promys that ye myght veryly trust upon hym.

1483.  Cath. Angl., 399/2. Varily,… vere.

a. 1533.  Ld. Berners, Huon, lxxxii. 255. I beleue veryly that thou dydyst dye on the holy crosse to redeme vs all.

1552.  Huloet, Verilye so manye, totidem.

1604.  E. G[rimstone], D’Acosta’s Hist. Indies, III. ix. 147. Some in the passage demaunded confession, thinking verily to die.

1610.  Holland, Camden’s Brit., 207. I am therefore verily perswaded, that the name of Hercules even to this place came either [etc.].

1682–3.  Pennsylv. Arch., I. 55. Though I could veryly hope my enemy were reconciled.

1708.  Swift, Sacram. Test, Wks. 1755, II. I. 127. We are verily persuaded, the consequence will be an entire alteration of religion among us.

1771.  Junius’ Lett., liv. (1788), 293. He … verily believes him an honest man.

1802.  Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T., Forester, A Clerk. A person whom he now verily believed to be, as he had originally suspected, insane.

1839.  Carlyle, Chartism, i. (1858), 3. The time is verily come for acting in it.

1851.  Mrs. Browning, Casa Guidi Wind., I. 122. Thou couldst … laugh the laugh back, I think verily.

  Comb.  1586.  Day, Eng. Secretary, II. (1625), 4. The first … appeareth to be Accusatorie, which … either simply by coniectures or by matter of knowne, or verily supported truth,… may bee conueyed.

  b.  Placed in front of a sentence or statement as an emphatic asseveration of its truth or accuracy; freq. connoting the truth of a preceding statement.

  In versions of the N.T. regularly used to render L. amen, G. ἀμήν, which are freq. strengthened by repetition.

1303.  R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 10068. Þys y beleue, and euer y shal; For verryly we se hyt alle.

1382.  Wyclif, Gen. xx. 12. Forsothe and verreili my sister she is.

c. 1440.  Gesta Rom., xlvi. 194 (Harl. MS.). Þerefor he that hathe þe Ringe of Feithe, vereliche he shalle have al thinges to his likinge.

c. 1460.  Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1885), 114. But verely thai liven in the most extreme pouertie and miserie.

1500–20.  Dunbar, Poems, l. 52. Verralie, that war gryt rycht.

1535.  Coverdale, John iii. 3. Verely verely I saye vnto the [etc.]. Ibid., 11. Verely I saye vnto y^e [etc.].

1548.  Hall, Chron., Edw. IV., 44 b. Verely the kyng of England had so great trust … in the honor … of the French kyng.

1610.  Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 268. And verily there remaineth yet a great Castle.

1632.  Sanderson, Serm., 11. As if despising were an especiall … kind of offending, or scandalizing. And verely so it is, especially to the Weake.

1711.  Steele, Spect., No. 43, ¶ 4. Verily, Mr. Spectator, we are much offended at the Act for Importing French Wines.

1849.  Lytton, Caxtons, 37. Verily at times he looked on him as a book.

1871.  B. Taylor, Faust (1875), II. II. iii. 127. Verily, we sit securely!

1879.  Butcher & Lang, Odyssey, 158. For verily the might of the sun was sore upon him.

  c.  Used to emphasize a negative or affirmative particle.

c. 1489.  Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, ix. 224. Dyde ever ony man so grete a trayson as I have doon, nay vereli.

1509.  Fisher, Funeral Serm. C’tess Richmond, Wks. (1876), 307. Were not she an vnkinde & vngentyl moder? Yes verayly.

1549.  Chaloner, Erasm. on Folly, F iij. Naie, verilier, that is it to be a man.

1559.  W. Cunningham, Cosmogr. Glasse, 138. You saye I shall take the Angles of sight of euerye place that I can see…. Yea verelye.

1597.  Morley, Introd. Mus., Annot. Should they then becom perfect chords? No verily.

1611.  Bible, Acts xvi. 37. Nay verily, but let them come themselues, and fetch vs out.

1647.  Hexham, Yea verily, ia trouwens, ofte ja voorwaer.

[1865.  Dickens, Mut. Fr., III. viii. Yes, verily, my lords and gentlemen,… so you must.]

  † B.  adj. True, very. Obs. rare.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter, cxxxix. 8. Lord, verralyest lord, noght as men ere lordis.

c. 1425.  Lydg., Assembly of Gods, 1285. Morpheus, That hym before warnyd of the verryly tyde.