† 1. With full faith, trust, or confidence; confidingly, confidently. Obs.
1401. Political Poems (1859), II. 107.
| I afferme faithfully | |
| that that is Cristis body. |
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, xxxvii. 395. Feythfully now trosteth to me.
1552. Bury Wills (1850), 141. Most faythfully beleving … yt my sowle after yis present lyfe shall rest wth Abraham.
1607. Shaks., Timon, III. ii. 46.
| If his occasion were not vertuous, | |
| I should not vrge it halfe so faithfully. |
† b. Assuredly, in truth. Obs.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 1890.
| And þou faithfully a fole, & a freike mad, | |
| May be countid in this case for þi come hider. |
2. a. With fidelity or firm allegiance; loyally, truly. Yours faithfully: one of the customary modes of subscribing a letter. b. With strict adherence to duty, conscientiously. c. Sincerely, truthfully.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. VII. 64. I schal fynden hem heore fode · þat Feiþfuliche lyuen.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxv. 120. He beleueth not feithfully in God.
14[?]. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 49. Euery wygth þat louyth feythefully.
1550. Crowley, The Last Trumpet, 154.
| Call to thy mynde good Daniel, | |
| Who serued his prince fayethfully. |
1588. J. Udall, Demonstr. Discip. (Arb.), 16. The Discipline which they receiued of Christe, they deliuered faythfully to the people.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 1082. Beleeve us … who love you not fainedly, but faithfully, and in deed.
1632. High Commission Cases (Camden), 317. He … did … faithfullie exercise his ministery.
1705. Stanhope, Paraphr., II. 254. They, who do their own Endeavours faithfully, shall be by his grace strengthened to do more.
1772. Junius, Lett. lxviii. 335. Those laws … he has sworn to administer faithfully.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., III. 119. The fatal secret … was faithfully preserved.
1787. W. Pitt, in G. Rose, Diaries (1860), I. 68. Believe me, My dear Lord, Most sincerely and faithfully yours, W. PITT.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 222. Faithfully remembering not to terminate the beating, till the mass has got all the toughness that you find it will acquire by beating.
1873. Ouida, Pascarèl, I. iv. 61. We all went to him faithfully; and seldom or never rebelled.
3. In strict accordance with the facts or original; accurately, correctly, exactly, truthfully.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1913. I wille … faythfully tellene.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 654. I will you faithfully enforme how ye fare shall.
1556. Lauder, Tractate, 525.
| Thocht I haue said ye veritie | |
| In sempyll maner, faithfullie. |
1690. Def. Rights Univ. Oxford, Pref. Thus … do [we] faithfully keep an exact register of their contentions.
1712. Spect., No. 527, 4 Nov., ¶ 2. What I have faithfully related.
1792. Gentl. Mag., 13/1. The church is faithfully represented in the annexed drawing.
1877. Mrs. Oliphant, Makers Flor., iii. 79. So came I to Verona to judge faithfully with my proper eyes.
4. † a. In a convincing or assuring manner (obs.). b. With binding assurances (still common colloq.). Cf. FAITHFUL 3 b and FAITH 7, 8.
c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, 455. So feythfully to me spake he.
1525. Abp. Warham, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., III. I. 370. To whome I have feighfully promised not to vtter the same.
1548. Hall, Chron., 241 b. Promisyng faithfully shortly to sende for her.
1600. Shaks., As You Like It, II. vii. 192.
| Duke Sen. If that you were the good Sir Rowlands son, | |
| As you haue whisper’d faithfully you were. |
Mod. He promised faithfully to send the book the next day.
