a. Sc. Also prob. bierdly, bierly, beerly, boordly. [prob. a modern perversion of the earlier Sc. buirly, goodly, stout, BURLY. Less prob. repr. OE. ʓebyredlíc suitable, seemly, meet, f. ʓebyrian, ONorthumb. byra to be pertinent, become, be becoming, with sense ‘comely.’
In the latter case, the mod.Sc. ui would have to be explained as altered from earlier i, ie, which is perhaps unparalleled. (Mod.Sc. ui, (ŭ, ū) normally represents OE. ó, ME. ō, or Fr. u). If = buirly, BURLY, we may suppose buirdly to be due to the ordinary popular association of the word with buird, BOARD, which is further seen in the anglicized form BOARDLY used by modern Scottish writers. Bierly, bierdly are then regular n.e. dial. forms of buirly, buirdly.]
‘Large and well-made’ (Jam.); stately; stalwart; sturdy, stout, burly.
1300–1600. See borli, burely, buyrlie, buirlie, under BURLY.
a. 1783. Lady Jane, xix. in Child, Ballads, III. No. 62 (1885), 75/2. Rise up, rise up, my bierly bride.
1786. Burns, Twa Dogs, 85. Buirdly chiels, an’ clever hizzies.
a. 1800. in R. Jamieson, Pop. Ballads (1806), II. 133 (Jam.). Out and spake the bierdly bride.
1807. R. Tannahill, Poems (1846), 60. Full-grown boordly chiels like you.
1815. Scott, Guy M., liii. Twelve buirdly sons and daughters.
