stately

Etymology

From state + -ly. Compare stour.

adj

1. (of people) Worthy of respect; dignified, regal.
2. (of movement) Deliberate, unhurried; dignified.
   And much as they welcome his promise to repeal "don't ask, don't tell", they are dismayed by the stately pace and bungled tactics of his attempts to do so. 14 October 2010, “An Own Goal on Gay Rights”, in The Economist
   At about twenty past three in the afternoon, these aircraft duly began to arrive. The cruiser Northampton was towing Hornet at a stately five knots when, out of the sky, came seven torpedo-armed aircraft. They managed to miss the barely-moving Hornet with all but one drop... but one hit was really all that it took, the location causing additional damage to the stricken carrier and demolishing most of the repairs that had been made to the earlier damage. 3 February 2021, Drachinifel, 20:43 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - Santa Cruz (IJN 2 : 2 USN), archived from the original on 2022-12-04
3. Grand; impressive; imposing.
   Below is the deep abyss of the Lauterbrunnen valley, and at its head a stately semi-circle of mountains, with the pyramidal Lauterbrunnen Breithorn as the centre-piece. 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752
   Flora is a good scout, a favourite with the jockeys on account of her stately breasts and the generous use she puts them to. 1986, John le Carré [pseudonym; David John Moore Cornwell], A Perfect Spy

adv

1. In a stately manner.