grisly

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈɡɹɪzli/ Rhymes: -ɪzli Homophone: grizzly Hyphenation: gris‧ly === Etymology 1 === From Middle English grisely, grysly, grissliȝ, griselich, grislich, from Old English grisliċ (“grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid”), from grīsan (“to shudder with horror; to tremble, to be terrified; to make tremble, to terrify; to agrise, grise”) (unattested but implied in āgrīsan) + -lic (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘characteristic of, pertaining to’). The word may also be an aphetic form of Old English ongrislic, agrisenliċ, the past participle of agrīsan (“to agrise”). Compare Danish grusom, Swedish gräslig, Middle Dutch grezelijc (modern Dutch griezelig), Middle High German grisenlich (modern German grässlich, grausen). ==== Adjective ==== grisly (comparative grislier, superlative grisliest) Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying. Synonyms: (obsolete) grisy, gristly, (misspellings) grizzly; see also Thesaurus:frightening Obsolete form of grizzly. Misspelling of gristly. ===== Usage notes ===== Not to be confused with gristly or grizzly. ===== Alternative forms ===== griesly, grislie (obsolete) ===== Derived terms ===== grislily grisliness ungrisly ===== Related terms ===== grise ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== grisly (plural grislies) Obsolete form of grizzly (“type of bear”). === Etymology 2 === From grisle (“horror, terror”) +‎ -ly; compare Middle Dutch griselike, Middle Low German grislike. ==== Adverb ==== grisly (comparative more grisly, superlative most grisly) (obsolete) In a horrible or terrible manner; in a terrifying way. ===== Synonyms ===== grimly horribly terribly === References === == Middle English == === Adjective === grisly grisly: horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying === Adverb === grisly grisly: in a horrible or terrible manner; in a terrifying way