sultry

Etymology

From sulter (“verb (obsolete), a variant of swelter”) + -y; compare sweltry.

adj

1. (weather) Hot and humid.
   Other ſignes of the Hiues fullneſſe and readineſſe to ſwarm are at the Hiue-doore, […] Fourthly, their firſt lying forth in foggy and ſultrie mornings & euenings, & going in again when the aire is cleere. 1623, Charles Butler, “Of the Swarming of Bees, and the Hiuing of Them”, in The Feminine Monarchie: Or The Historie of Bees. Shewing Their Admirable Nature, and Propertes, Their Generation, and Colonies, Their Gouernment, Loyaltie, Art, Industrie, Enemies, Warres, Magnanimitie, &c. Together with the Right Ordering of Them from Time to Time: And the Sweet Profit Arising thereof. Written out of Experience, London: Printed by Iohn Haviland for Roger Iackson, and are to be sold at his shop in Fleetstreet, ouer against the Conduit, →OCLC
   On recollecting myself, I diſcovered that I had almoſt reached the entrance of the lagoon, and determined to venture in, if poſſible, to take a few fiſh, […] I ſoon caught more trout than I had preſent occaſion for, and the air was too hot and ſultry to admit of their being kept for many hours, even though ſalted or barbecued. 1793 January, William Bartram, “Art. II. Travels through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the Extensive Territories of the Muscogulges or Creek Confederacy, and the Country of the Chactaws. Containing an Account of the Soil and Natural Productions of Those Regions; together with Observations on the Manners of the Indians. Embellished with Copper Plates. By William Bartram. Re-printed from the Philadelphia Edition. 8vo. pp. 520. 7s. 6d. boards. Johnson. 1792.”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume X, London: Printed for R[alph] Griffiths; and sold by T[homas] Becket, in Pall Mall, published 1794, →OCLC, page 17
   The weather of the summer of 1863 was, if we include the above four months, not remarkable; but June and September had exceedingly fine weather, while July and August were very unhealthy, being warmer than usual and much damper—that is, sultry. 22 January 1864, Board of Aldermen of New York City, “Summary of Seven Daily Observations of the Temperature, Moisture, Weight, Direction, and Condition of the Atmosphere, for the Year 1863”, in Annual Report of the City Inspector of the City of New York for the Year Ending December 31, 1863 (Document No. 7), New York, N.Y.: Edmund Jones & Co., printers to the Corporation, No. 26 John Street, →OCLC, page 154
   The soldiers in charge of the English, puzzled apparently how to secure them, conceived the barbarous idea of diving the whole number into a cell which would have been overcrowded with ten captives during the sultry heat of a Bengal midsummer night. The hundred and forty-six unfortunate prisoners were crushed into the narrow space. 1931, Annie Besant, “Conquest and Tyranny”, in England, India, and Afghanistan: And the Story of Afghanistan or Why the Tory Government Gags the Indian Press: A Plea for the Weak against the Strong, 1st Indian edition, Aydar, Madras: Theosophical Publishing House, →OCLC, pages 26–27
   The Champions League has brought suffering to City and Guardiola - especially when they lost to Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2021 final - but all the pain disappeared just before midnight on a sultry night in Istanbul. Jun 10, 2023, Phil McNulty, “Manchester City 1 - 0 Inter Milan”, in BBC Sport
2. (weather) Very hot and dry; torrid.
3. (figurative) Sexually enthralling.
   When Chicanos think about us at all, they perpetuate the stereotypes. Gabacho depiction of us as emotionally unchecked, sultry women lusting after pale bodies is just an extension of the fantasy they have about all women. Such dishonest portrayals are why Chicanas are "breaking the silence," as Rita Sánchez calls it. 1980, [Juan D.] Bruce-Novoa, “Bernice Zamora”, in Chicano Authors: Inquiry by Interview, Austin, Tex., London: University of Texas Press, page 214
   Geeta Dutt was the wife of Guru Dutt and largely sang for the heroines in his films. Her voice was sultrier than the others, often recognisable by a slightly erotic quality felt through a distinctive quivering in the voice as heard in the song ‘Na Jao Saiyan Chuda Ke Baiyan’ (‘Don’t let go of my wrist my love’) from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (Abrar Alvi, 1962) […] 2012, Kush Varia, “Narrative and Genres”, in Bollywood: Gods, Glamour, and Gossip, New York, N.Y., Chichester, West Sussex: Wallflower Press, Columbia University Press, page 39