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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sekely, Seikly, Siklie, adj. Also: seklie, seiklie, -lye, -lé, seicklie, seyklie, seakly, seeklie, -ly, sickly, -lie. [ME and e.m.E. sekly (c1350), sykliche (Chaucer), seekly (1406), sekely (1483), syckely (1540), sickly (1561); Sek(e adj.]

1. In poor or failing health, more or less continuously ailing.(1) 1456 Hay I 73/27.
Men that ware wayke men of age or of nature, feble or sekely 1581 St. A. Kirk S. 471.
Mr. Thomas Balfour, seklie and absent for the tyme(b) 1502 Acta Conc. III 185.
The witnes … war ald febill and seiklye persons 1530 Antiq. Aberd. & B. IV 477.
Sche was seiklie and greit with chyle a1538 Abell 23a.
Corbreid … had bot ane dochtir … and sche wes seiklie and remanit in hir wirginite 1544 Reg. Privy S. III 112/1.
Maister Thomas Marjoribankis … is now of gret aige, corpolent and seiklie in his persoun 1546 Corr. M. Lorraine 171.
Madame, I am agit and seiklie throw my prisamynd and evill tretin 1548 Douglas Corr. 171.
The Larde of Glenbervy … is ane seikly mann … lat George ly in plegge for him 1548 Cal. Sc. P. I 128.
Seikly 1559 Edinb. B. Rec. III 40.
Seyklie a1578 Pitsc. I 362/17.
Magdallan, quho was rydand in ane charrott because scho was seiklie 1590 St. A. Kirk S. 666.
Seikle 1596 Dalr. II 236/11.
I haue tua dauchteris, Magdalen … and Margaret, Magdalen seiklie, Margaret strang and stark 1600-1610 Melvill 15.
He being a bern verie seiklie 1614 Aberd. Council Lett. I 120.
Seicklie 1619 Garden Elphinstoun 2492.
This tyme to be diseas'd And seiklie he began 1622 Perth Kirk S. MS 11 March.
Scho is sa seiklie and neir the tyme of hir birth that scho may nocht byde in the kirk 1662 Edinb. Test. LXX 301.
I am somwhat seiklie … by reason of my longsom and duyneing decease 1690 Glasgow B. Rec. III 439.
John Andersone … is become tender and seicklie(c) 1609 Douglas Corr. 195.
I am become now auld and seakly and within short tyme will be vnable to trauell(d) 1643 Baillie II 38.
My dear wife, since my being in England, hes been seeklie 1644 Spalding II App. 502.
Finding my sonne somewhat seekly 1670 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 265.
Wherby seeklie strangeris knowing of such ane free offer of health might make the more frequent resort to this brughe(e) a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 1512 (Wr.).
This silly sickly man 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. Prov. No. 8.
The sickly patient cheifly desyreth that quhilk cheiflie is forbiddin him 1617 Ritchie Ch. S. Baldred 160.
Besse Gamell answeirit that she was ald and siklie, and came not therfor … to the comunion 1649 Sc. N. & Q. III 122.
Jeane Broune fell sicklie after a strange manner some tyme excessively hot sometyme chittering for cold(2) 1611 E. Loth. Antiq. Soc. III 146.
[The testator describes himself as] seiklie in bodie but hail alwayis in mynd and spereit

b. Of the body. a1500 Henr. Fab. 717.
A, schir, considder my complexioun Seikly and waik and off my nature tender 1533 Boece 286b.
Ambrois … having na compt of his maladie nor of his seklie body 1560 Rolland Seven S. 7070.
Fenȝeing him self to haue ane seiklie cors

c. transf. Characterised by, or proceeding from, ill-health. 1567 G. Ball. 40.
To satisfie his seiklie appetyte, He wald haif eitin of the crummis small c1590 Fowler I 128/50.
Such distructioun of the tymes … which wonnt to mak the lyfe of man … Waik, seiklie, fragill, and infirme 1684 Rec. of Old Tolbooth in Bk. Old Edinb. C. IX 146.
They find him in a verie dangerous & seiklie condition

2. Apt to cause sickness or ill-health, unhealthy. 1456 Hay II 139/14.
The wateris that cummys betuix landis rynnand takis the nature of the landis that it rynnis throu in sum perty, and ar hate and sekely be the unkynde nature of the terrestreyteis of thame that thai tak of that erde