a. (adv.) Forms: 4 costily, ? coystily, coostly, costli, 5 costlye, Sc. costlik, -lyk, 5–6 costely, 6 costeley, coastly, 4– costly. [f. COST sb.2 + -LY1.]
1. That costs much; requiring or involving great expenditure. a. Of great price or value; sumptuous.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 369. Closid in grete cloystres and coystily. Ibid., 383. Costily housis.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xxviii. 76. At Renfrewe a mawngery costlyk he made.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., V. cxx. 97. Ethelbertus … amonge other costlye deedys, began ye foundacion of Poulys Churche.
1535. Coverdale, Prov. i. 6. All maner of costly riches.
1548. Hall, Chron., 12 b. Served at the table with costely meate like a kyng.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., I. (1586), 39. Not long since the women of Germanie knewe no costlyer attyre.
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 226. Rare, exotic, and costly shrubs.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 252, ¶ 3. Japan Screens and costly Jars.
1838. Dickens, Nich. Nick., xvi. The costliest palace.
1874. Micklethwaite, Mod. Par. Churches, 191. All ornament ought to be costly.
b. Occasioning excessive expenditure; involving loss or sacrifice; expensive, dear.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 364. Generaly, worst þing is more costly & more hevy.
1465. Paston Lett., No. 522, II. 224. Thou hast be the costlyest childe that evere I hadde.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxxix. § 14. His wars are costly and chargeable.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., IV. i. 60. Such a costly losse of wealth and friends.
1738. Wesley, Psalms, li. 17. No costly Sacrifice [dost thou] require.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 694. Sieges such as those of Mons and Namur were operations too costly for her means.
1891. Law Times, XCI. 21/2. Our costly courts of law.
† c. Costly colours: an obsolete game at cards.
1674. Cotton, Compl. Gamester, in Singer, Hist. Cards, 341. You must set up six for Costly Colours.
1756. W. Toldervy, Hist. Two Orphans, II. 206. They found Duroy and Heartley playing at Costly Colours: a game upon the cards peculiar to that country.
1816. Singer, Hist. Cards, 341.
2. Lavish in expenditure, extravagant. arch.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., III. (1682), 87. They are not costly in apparel, for they weare but linnen cloaths.
1697. Dryden, Æneid, IX. 177. To curse the Costly Sex.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 181. Hee sees … No costly lord the sumptuous banquet deal.
1864. Tennyson, Aylmer’s Field, 233. This dagger … which when now admired By Edith … At once the costly Sahib yielded to her.
† B. adv. In a costly manner; sumptuously; dearly. Obs.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 19. Þat feden himsilf coostly.
1576. Gascoyne, Compl. Phil. (Arb.), 87. These thriftles birds … Are costly kept, and finely fedde.
1619. W. Sclater, Expos. 2 Thess. (1630), 554. To goe costly attyred.
a. 1625. Beaum. & Fl., Wit at Sev. Weapons, V. i. I thank you costly, sir, and kindly too.
