Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
‡DOWLY, Dowlie, adj. Doleful, sad; solitary (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., obsol.). Also used as adv., sadly, feebly. Common in n.Eng. dial.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 103:
I t'ink, or lang, thu'll be bit dowly.Abd. 1868 W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 268:
“Ye'll leave this dowilie [sic] house,” he said, “And come your wa's across the fell.”Per. 1895 R. Ford Tayside Songs 294:
He dowly says, just ere he dies, “Alas! alas! the gill-stowp!”Edb. 1791 J. Learmont Poems 57:
[He] yokit to his darg but dowlie.
Hence dowlie-horn, “a horn that hangs down” (Slk. 1825 Jam.2); and dowlie-horn't, “having drooping horns” (Ib.).
[Not in O.Sc. Mid.Eng. has dowly, id., 1400. Origin uncertain: phs. cf. O.N. daufligr, dull, dismal, lonely.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Dowly adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/dowly>