homely

Etymology

From Middle English homly, hoomly, hamely (“domestic, familiar, plain”), from Old English *hāmlīc (“of the home, domestic”), from Proto-West Germanic *haimalīk (“of or characteristic of home”), equivalent to home + -ly. Cognate with Scots hamely (“familiar, personal, private”), West Frisian heimelik, Dutch heimelijk (“secret, secretive, clandestine”), German heimlich (“secret, secretive, clandestine, undercover”), Danish hemmelig (“secret”), Swedish hemlig (“secret, concealed, privy, covert”), Faroese heimligur (“homelike, homey”), Icelandic heimlegur (“homely; worldly”).

adj

1. Characteristic of, belonging to, or befitting a home; domestic, cozy.
   An interesting illustration of this is the way in which the English flower names which were in use till very recently are being ousted by Greek ones, snapdragon becoming antirrhinum, forget-me-not becoming myosotis, etc. It is hard to see any practical reason for this change of fashion: it is probably due to an instinctive turning-away from the more homely word and a vague feeling that the Greek word is scientific. 1946, George Orwell, Politics and the English Language
   Mowgli: "Oh, don't worry Chota, it may not be homely, but I can warm it up." 5 January 2014, “Mowgli's Cub”, in The Jungle Book
2. (Canada, US) Lacking in beauty or elegance, plain in appearance, physically unattractive.
   "I can't send a young, pretty girl, or for that matter even a homely one if you'd have her, on a job like this without telling her what to expect." 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 6
   You see, she sees herself as a starlet; I see her as a sturdy, healthy but decidedly homely kid. 1958, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 15, in Lolita
3. (UK dialectal) On intimate or friendly terms with (someone); familiar; at home (with a person); intimate.
   With all these men I was right homely, and communed with them long and oft. 1563, John Foxe, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Chapter on William Thorpe
4. (UK dialectal, of animals) Domestic; tame.
5. (UK dialectal) Personal; private.
6. (UK dialectal) Friendly; kind; gracious; cordial.
7. (India) Conservative and family-oriented.
   I am seeking a beautiful homely girl for marriage.
8. (archaic) Simple; plain; familiar; unelaborate; unadorned.
   a homely garment
   homely fare
   homely manners
   Now Strephon daily entertains 1731, Alexander Pope, Strephon and Chloe, Lines 211-212
   There is no simple way to define precisely a complex arrangement of parts, however homely the object may appear to be. 2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press, page 167