Pronunciation: l ē ; in some dialects, esp Brit, Southern, NewEng, often li but not shown at individual entries
Function: adjective suffix
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English -l ī c, -lic; akin to Old High German -l ī h, -lic, Old English l ī c body ― more at LIKE
1 : like in appearance, manner, or nature : having the characteristics of <queen ly > <father ly >
2 : characterized by regular recurrence in (specified) units of time : every <hour ly > <week ly >