homely

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Simple, comfortable, and reminding you of home (British usage).

   The little café had a homely feel, with soft chairs and the smell of fresh bread.

2. 2
   adj

   Plain and not attractive in appearance (American usage).

   He was a rather homely man, but his warm smile won everyone over.

From Middle English homly, hoomly, hamely (“domestic, familiar, plain, unattractive”), from Old English *hāmlīċ (“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”).

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