Now rare. Forms: 1 líflíce, 4 lyfly, 4–6 lifly, (5 liyfly, lyfely), 5–6 lyvely, (5 lievlie, lyvele), 6 livelie, 8 Sc. lyflie, 6– lively. [OE. líflíce, f. líf LIFE + -líce -LY2.]
† 1. (OE. only.) So as to impart life.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 244. He ʓenam ða hlaf and hine liflice ʓehalʓode.
† 2. As a living person or thing. Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., II. xviii. (1495), 44. Though an angel take a body for euery nedefull doyng he may take it Not lyfly, neyther gyuyth therto lyfe.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. i. 38. A dainty flowre … Which in that cloth was wrought, as if it lively grew.
3. With animation, actively, briskly, nimbly, vigorously.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 2997. There light þai full lyfely, lept into bote.
c. 1450. Merlin, 355. He lept vp on foote as lifly as he hadde noon harme ne dissese.
a. 1500[?]. Mankind (Brandl), 41/73. Leppe a-bout lyuely, þou art a wyght man.
1553. Brende, Q. Curtius, R viij. Beinge .Lxx. yeares of age, [he] executed the office of a capitaine as lively as though he had bene younge in yeares.
1613. Hayward, Norm. Kings, Will. I., 9. The Normans did liuely charge vpon them in head.
1643. Cromwell, Lett., 6 Aug., in A. Kingston, East Angl. & Civ. War (1897), 121. You must act lively; do it without distraction.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., 4. If you divide the Bee … you shall … see the heart beat most lively.
1699. Salmon, Bate’s Dispens. (1713), 276/2. It will … make the Medicine work more lively and briskly.
1883. G. H. Boughton, in Harper’s Mag., Feb., 402/2. We found that it was going on a little livelier than ever.
† b. Feelingly; (touched) to the quick. Obs.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 79/1. The examples … ought to make vs feele it liuely, and to the quicke.
1625. Gonsalvio’s Sp. Inquis., 197. Making him … liuely to lament his owne filthinesse and abomination.
1651. trans. De-las-Coveras’ Don Fenise, 33. Don Louis … was so lively touched with compassion … that [etc.].
1653. Nissena, 86. She was so lively imprest with what she had heard.
a. 1758. Ramsay, Some of the Contents, vii. How lyflie he and amorous Stuart sing!
† c. Promptly; at once; = BELIVELY. Obs.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 372. [He] led hom furthe lyuely into a large halle. Ibid., 4355. And so the ledis of the lond lyuely hym cald. Ibid., 5447. Out of Lyce come lyuele þe lege kyng Glaucon.
4. In a life-like manner; vividly, ‘to the life.’ Very frequent in the 17th century. ? Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1229. Wel koude he peynten lifly that it wroghte.
1559. Bp. Scot, in Strype, Ann. Ref., I. App. vii. 18. Who so redith the third chapter of the second epistle of St. Paul to Tymothie, may see them there lively described.
1598. F. Meres, Palladis Tamia, 287. Apelles painted a Mare and Dogge so liuelie, that Horses and Dogges passing by woulde neigh and barke at them.
1604. Dekker, Kings’ Entert., Wks. 1873, I. 293. In a large Table … is their fishing and shipping lively and sweetely set downe.
1615. T. Adams, Spiritual Navig., 6. This glasse lively represents to us ourselves and our Saviour.
1631. Weever, Anc. Funeral Mon., 14. The funeralls of Misenus, most liuely thus expressed.
1659. Evelyn, Diary (1827), II. 143. A sheete of paper, on which was very liuely painted ye thing in miniature.
1682. H. More, Annot. Glanvill’s Lux O., 30. Meeting with nothing … that lively resembles these things in our former state.
1687. Burnet, Trav., i. (1750), 39. The Image also seemed to shed tears; and a Painter had drawn those on her Face so lively, that the People were deceived by it.
1726. Life of Penn, in Wks. I. 28. What Game such Persons play at, may be lively read in the attempts of Dionysius, &c.
1775. S. J. Pratt, Liberal Opin., lxx. (1783), III. 22. He [Draper] painted himself … much livelier … than it was in the power of any other person to depict him.
† b. Clearly, plainly. Obs.
1548. Udall, Erasm. Par., Pref. 17. And liuely to know the ungodly maligners.
1570–6. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent (1826), 171. She seemed … most liuely to beholde … with hir eie.
1601. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw. (1603), 144. The wisedome of a prince is not livelier discerned, then [etc.].
1625. Gill, Sacr. Philos., I. 107. The shape of a man cannot bee more lively seene in a looking glasse, than [etc.].
1634. Canne, Necess. Separ. (1849), 14. The Pope’s pontifical, wherein he showeth himself to be Antichrist most lively.
1673. Penn, The Chr. a Quaker, v. 533. It had been utterly impossible for divers weighty Things … to have been known, and said so lively, had they not been seen by the Light.
5. Of a vessel: (Floating) in a lively manner. (Cf. LIVELY a. 7.) Obs.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 171. Remarkably full in their bows; which … enabled them to float much more lively upon the surface.
6. Comb., as lively-expressed; lively-daring, -shining, -skipping, -speaking, -thriving adjs.
1622. Drayton, Poly-olb., xxii. 962. The *liuely daring French.
1577. trans. Bullinger’s Decades (1592), 2. Gods will, first of all vttered in a *liuely expressed voice by the mouth of Christ.
1727–46. Thomson, Summer, 918. The *lively-shining leopard, speckled o’er With many a spot.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., v. 123. The *liuelie skipping Brane along with Gwethrick goes.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 112. Giving as ready obedience … as they can to any *lively speaking prince of the world.
1618. W. Lawson, New Orch. & Gard. (1623), 32. You shall haue for one *liuely thriuing tree, foure … euill thriuing, rotten and dying trees.
