Silly

Silly is an interesting word. There are so many different ways to use it. You can use silly to describe someone as funny or goofy. Or, if used in a different context, silly can mean ridiculous. “Don’t be silly, Brenda! You can’t buy a new Bugatti with five dollars in your bank account and a terrible credit score.”

The word “silly” comes from the Middle English word “seely” which comes from the Old English world “sælig” or “gesælig”. “Sælig” means “lucky, fortunate”, which is related to the word “seel” which means “happiness, bliss”.  The word “silly” originally meant “happy”. This gives the sense of children’s games or harmless jokes. Later it became a synonym for “innocent” or “harmless”. It later became an adjective for someone worthy of sympathy, which is something that’s weak. The word “silly” later came to mean “foolish”. For example, “silly ideas” are looked down on because they’re not very smart.