Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1813-1893
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LITHELY, adv. Also ¶lythlye. Nimbly, agilely, with alacrity; hence, in a more gen. sense, readily, cheerfully. Mainly liter.Slk. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake 69:
And quhen we cam to the Lommond height, Se lythlye we lychtid doune.Ags. 1846 Arbroath Guide (7 March) 4:
And now, though manhood marks my brow, My heart lies lithely till't.Bnff. 1871 J. Milne Poems 37:
The lasses, bless the bonny dears, Stan' lithely by the tents.Dmf. 1877 R. W. Thom Poems (1883) 4:
Through years that pouthered his haffets wi' snaw, As lithely onward they ran.Sc. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xxiii.:
He declared he would lithely then carry her back to Leith for nothing.
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"Lithely adv.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 2 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/lithely>
