A. adj. Characterized by cheer or cheerfulness; blithe, cheerful, lively, cheery, arch.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. xviii. 33. To be foreward and cheerly in mynd.
1649. Selden, Laws Eng., I. lxiv. (1739), 131. The King himself also standing with a chearly countenance.
1757. Dyer, Fleece, I. 373. Cheerly shelters raise.
1848. Fraser’s Mag., XXXVIII. 72. The merry ‘water-cock’ … the cheerliest fisher of the streams.
1850. L. Hunt, Autobiog., II. xvii. 233. The cheerly cries of the seamen.
B. adv.
1. In a cheerly manner; blithely, cheerily. arch.
1558. Phaër, Æneid., I. 15. Behold the flocke of six and six that yonder cherly flyes Of Swannes.
1591. Spenser, Tears Muses, 321. They cherelie chaunt and rymes at randon fling.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., II. vi. 14. Wel said, thou look’st cheerely.
1607. Dekker, Hist. Sir T. Wyatt, 83. How fares the King, my Lord? speaks he cheerely?
1632. Milton, L’Allegro, 53. Oft listening how the hounds and horn Cheerly rouse the slumbering morn.
c. 1750. Shenstone, P’cess Eliz., Wks. 1764, I. 323. Hark to yonder milk-maid singing Chearly o’er the brimming pail.
1832. Tennyson, Lady of Shalott, I. iv. A song that echoes cheerly From the river winding clearly.
b. spec. as a cry of encouragement among sailors: Heartily, with a will.
1610. Shaks., Temp., I. i. 6. Heigh my hearts, cheerely, cheerely my harts: yare, yare.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., I. I. 20. Cheerly my Mates, the day will be ours.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), Chearly, a phrase which usually implies heartily, chearfully, or quickly, as row chearly in the boats! lower away chearly! i. e. row heartily, lower speedily.
1855. Longf., Gold. Leg., V. At Sea, Cheerly, my hearties! yo heave ho!
2. In a way that cheers or enlivens; cheeringly.
1794. Southey, Wat Tyler, I. The sun would shine as cheerly.
1811. W. Spencer, Poems, 78. Cheerly smil’d the morn.
1816. Byron, Siege Cor., iii. Alighting cheerly to inspire The soldier slackening in his fire.
