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Meaning & History
Medieval nickname for a person with a cheerful disposition, from Middle English seely "happy, fortunate" (from Old English sæl "happiness, good fortune"). The word was also occasionally used as a female personal name during the Middle Ages. The word's considerable sense development moved from "blessed" to "pious", to "innocent" (c.1200), to "harmless", to "pitiable" (late 13c.), to "weak" (c.1300), to "feeble in mind, lacking in reason, foolish" (1570s); the sense "pitiable", which developed into modern English silly, is not attested before the 15th century.