Forms and etym.: see WORLD sb. and -LY2; also 3 worlich, 8 Sc. warly, [OE. woruldlic: cf. OFris. wraldlîk, OS. weroldlîk, MLG. wer(l)tlik, MDu. wereldlîk, Du. -lijk, OHG. weraltlîh (MHG. wer(e)ltlîch, G. weltlich), veraldligr (Sw. verldslig, Da. verdslig).]
1. Of or belonging to this world (as distinguished from the other world); pertaining to or connected with man’s earthly existence; earthly, mundane.
c. 888. Ælfred, Boeth., viii. Ʒeseʓe … hwæðer þe betere þince, nu nanwuht woruldlices fæstes & unhwearfiendes bion ne maʓ?
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., I. 60. To forsewennysse woruldlicra æhta.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 149. If he ne mei mid worldliche echte his neode ibete þet him sare roweþ.
c. 1200. Ormin, 1628. Þatt tu þweorrt ut … forrwerrpe All weorelldlike lif & lusst.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 94. Þeos sihðe [of the bliss of heaven] … schal urouren ou more þene muhte eni worldlich sihðe. Ibid., 190. Euerich worlich wo is Godes sonde.
c. 1325. Song of Yesterday, 29, in E. E. P. (1862), 134. Þis eorþeli ioie þis worldly blis Is but a fykel fantasy.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 813. Worldly selynesse Which clerkes callen fals felicite.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 453. Þis is þe freest vss þat men han off worldly godis.
1447. Bokenham, Seyntys (Roxb.), 241. Alle fleshly lustys she dede despyse, No werdly wurshepe myht hyr supprise.
c. 1450. Knt. de la Tour, 14. Humilite is the furst entre and wey of frenship and wordely loue.
c. 1475. Partenay, 3838. Adieu, my plesaunce And gladnesse worly!
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xii. 13. Welth, warldly gloir, and riche array.
1548–9. Bk. Com. Prayer, Matrimony. With al my worldly Goodes I thee endowe.
1556. J. Heywood, Spider & Fly, ii. 94. Then doth all worldelie pleasure past apere … all vanitee.
1617. Sir W. Mure, Misc. Poems, xviii. 6. Too sone (alace!) … Thy pairt is acted on this wordlie stage.
1671. Milton, P. R., IV. 213. And thou thy self seem’st otherwise inclin’d Then to a worldly Crown.
1708. Prior, Turtle & Sparrow, 139. Exempt from worldly Hopes and Fears.
1742. Fielding, J. Andrews, IV. viii. The parson … persisted in doing his duty without regarding the consequence it might have on his worldly interest.
1784. Burns, ‘Green grow the Rashes,’ iv. Warly cares, an’ warly men, May a’ gae tapsalteerie, O!
1848. Dickens, Dombey, xlix. Too much a child in worldly matters.
1849. Lever, Con Cregan, xviii. While I wander along,… my worldly substance a few dollars.
1856. Froude, Hist. Eng., I. iii. 246. In point of worldly prudence, his conduct was unexceptionably wise.
1871. Smiles, Character, i. (1876), 8. Indeed, goodness in a measure implies wisdom—the highest wisdom—the union of the worldly with the spiritual.
† 2. Of, belonging to, or connected with this world and its inhabitants; earthly, human, mortal.
c. 1205. Lay., 6304. Heo wes swiðe wis of wordliche dome.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 58. Þe weies þat were here wordliche makus.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 371. Who so wol haue to wyue my worldliche daughter.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), Pref. 2. Wald Godd þat þir werldly lordes ware at gude accorde.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., xliv. Gif ȝe be warldly wight, that dooth me sike.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxvii. 128. No wordely drede schall me withdrawe, That I schall with þe leue and dye.
1528. Tindale, Obed. Chr. Man, 55. Is it not … a monstrous thinge yt no man shulde be founde able to governe a worldly kingdome save Bisshopes and prelates that have forsaken the worlde.
1558. Knox, First Blast (Arb.), 6. Kinges, princes and worldlie rulers did conspire against God.
1583. Stanyhurst, Æneis, III. (Arb.), 73. Too what soyle worldlye to iourney Thow doost commaund vs?
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., III. ii. 56. The breath of worldly men cannot depose The Deputie elected by the Lord.
1601. W. Percy, Cuckqueanes & Cuckolds Errants, IV. i. (Roxb.), 45. Dou. I had a husband once, but he has left mee. Aru. A worse then myne the wordly eye beholds not. Dou. A worse then myne the heauenly coupe enfolds not.
1614. J. Davies, in W. Browne, Sheph. Pipe, etc. G 4 b. Of world, ne worly men take thou no keepe.
1674. N. Fairfax, Bulk & Selv., 193. God did not make the world or worldly beings, that the bigness … of them should set forth to us his alfillingness.
† b. Of the whole world, universal, general. Obs.
1538. Cromwell, in Merriman, Life & Lett. (1902), II. 153. Ye do thus admonyshe them, to thintent they shuld … eschewe … the wordely rebuke that they might incurre hereafter.
a. 1500. Vox Populi, xi. 38. in Skelton’s Wks. (1843), II. 410. There is no smale nombre That this faute dothe incombre: Yt is a wordly wondre.
c. Of the terrestrial globe. rare.
1812. Cary, Dante, Parad., I. 40. [The sun] comes; and, to the worldly wax, best gives Its temper and impression.
† 3. Of or belonging to the world (as distinguished from the church or the cloister); secular; occas. † lay. Obs.
a. 900. O. E. Martyrol., 7 March, 36. He forlet þa wæpna ond þa woruldlican wisan ond eode on þæt mynster.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 121. Bi colour þat crist was þus worldly lord, þerfore þei schulden haue þus seculer lordischipis bi heritage of crist.
c. 1390. in Wyclif’s Wks. (Wycl. Soc., 1910), 145. A curat and an officer in wordly seruise.
a. 1440. Hylton, Scala Perf. (W. de W., 1494), I. lxii. It may be that there is many a wyf and many worldlyche woman shall be nerer god than thou.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 6230. It folowith not that they Shulde … her soules leese, That hem to worldly clothes chese;… Men may in seculer clothes see Florishen hooly religioun.
a. 1500. Bernard. de cura rei fam., I. 4. Sum [books] maide for law of god in document, And oþir sum for varldly regiment.
c. 1500. Melusine, lvii. 336. There he herd the deuyne seruyse deuoutly but yet had he on hys worldly gownes.
1562. Jewel, Apol. Ch. Eng., 56 b. What other be the Abbots at this day in ye Popes kingdome, but worldly Princes?
1658. in Morris, Troubles Cath. Foref. (1872), I. vi. 315. All this time [of the floods], Shrovetide, some worldly people came in to see the harm which the waters had done us.
4. Of persons, their actions or attributes: Devoted to the world and its pursuits.
c. 1320. Cast. Love, 983. Þe worldlich mon euere i-liche Loueþ þing þat is worldliche.
1340. Ayenb., 210. Alle þoȝtes ulessliche and wordleliche me ssel diȝte uram þe herte.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 89. Worldly prelatis ful of coueitise symonye & heresie.
c. 1410. Love, Bonavent. Mirr., xxxi. (1908), 153. Worldely men and fleschely.
1570. B. Googe, Pop. Kingd., II. 20. Besides more worldly mindes they haue, and of more wanton chere, Than worldlymen.
1610. Shaks., Temp., I. ii. 89. I thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated To closenes.
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 803. The conquerd also … Thenceforth shall practice how to live secure, Worldlie or dissolute.
1693. Prior, To C’tess of Exeter, 26. You far above Both these Your God did place; That Your high Pow’r might worldly Thoughts destroy.
1785. Burns, Ep. Lapraik, xx. Awa, ye selfish, warly race.
1832. Lytton, Eugene A., I. xii. The worldlier passions are the growth of mature years.
1860. Hawthorne, Transformation, xii. It is the surest test of genuine love, that it brings back our early simplicity to the worldliest of us.
1875. Manning, Mission H. Ghost, viii. 218. A man who is trying to serve two masters is a worldly man.
1902. Violet Jacob, Sheep-Stealers, xi. The ‘Green Dragon’ … was the point of migration to the worldly part of the county, just as the Cathedral was the point of migration to the spiritual.
5. Comb., as worldly-witted adj.; † worldly-handed a., occupied in worldly or secular employment; worldly-minded a., having a worldly mind, having the thoughts set upon the things of this world (hence worldly-mindedness).
1657. J. Watts, Vind. Ch. Eng., 256. You have brought us to be *worldly-handed men, handy-crafts-men.
1601. Song of Mary, in Farr, Sel. P., Eliz. (Parker Soc.), II. 426. The world disdaines them; And why? because they are not *worldly-minded.
1611. Bible, Luke xiv. (heading), Vnder the parable of the great supper, sheweth how worldly minded men, who contemne the word of God, shalbe shut out of heauen.
a. 1838. [see UNHUMBLED ppl. a.].
a. 1628. Preston, Mt. Ebal (1638), 36. *Worldly mindednesse … begets coldnesse of affection.
1748. Hartley, Observ. Man, II. iv. § 4. 405. Men … carried from Worldly-mindedness to Heavenly-mindedness.
1849. Longf., Kavanagh, vii. Prose Wks. 1886, II. 313. Evil propensities, and self-seeking, and worldly-mindedness.
1563. Homilies, II. Inform. Places Script., I. S ssj b. And some *worldlye witted men, thynke it a great decaye to … their common wealthes, to geue eare to the simple … preceptes of … Christ.
1845. Mrs. Norton, Child of Islands (1846), 168. The shallow craft of worldly-witted fools.
Hence (chiefly nonce-wds.) Worldlify v. trans., to render worldly; † Worldlihood, worldliness; Worldlily adv., in a worldly manner; † Worldlyship, worldliness.
1612. T. James, Jesuits’ Downf., 57. When religion was once *wordlefied in him, and that state-matters … had so great a part in his studies.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., III. vii. 319. Tho persoones … were religiose men, forsaking miche of *worldlihode and of fleischlihode.
1818. Bentham, Ch. Eng., Ch. Eng. Catech. Exam., 122. Hired and *worldlily-interested advocates.
1825. T. Hook, Sayings, Ser. II. Doubts & F., iv. He began to reconsider worldlily and suspiciously all the incidents.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 151. And þis *worldlyshipe shal laste as longe as prelatis ben þus worldli.
