princely meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

princely

adj

/ˈpɹɪnsli/

Etymology From Middle English princely, pryncely, equivalent to prince + -ly (adjectival suffix). Compare Dutch prinselijk.

Relating to a prince.

princely birth or character
And when the princely Perſean Diadem, Shall ouerweigh his wearie witleſſe head, And fall like mellowed fruit, with ſhakes of death, In faire Perſea noble Tamburlain Shall be my Regent, and remaine as King:c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene i:

1 more example

She so bewitched the whole princely race that six different princes, although each was married to a young wife, remained childless.1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 93:

Similar or comparable to a prince.

Befitting a prince.

1 more example

I have mentioned before how impressed I was when I used a Glasgow suburban train late one Saturday night, when I reached Queen Street the barriers were closed and I had to cough up a princely couple of quid before being allowed through.2025 November 12, Christian Wolmar, “A proper BTP presence is worth every penny”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 41:

Antonyms: unprincely
Derived terms: princelihood, princelily, princeliness, princely state, princely sum, unprinceliness, unprincely

adv

Etymology From prince + -ly (adverbial suffix).

In the manner of a royal prince's conduct.

[…] my appetite was not princely gote, […]c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
Oilman Hall and I tried to interest him in noticing Morgan Robertson, who was passing near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Twenty-third Street, princely dressed in a frock coat and top hat.1914, Arthur W. Page, “Little Pictures of O. Henry”, in The Book Man: An Illustrated Magazine of Literature and Life, volume XXXVIII, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, chapter IV (The New York Days—Richard Duffy’s Narrative), page 171:

4 more examples

“And if this Señor Regan be princely generous, he may give you and me the munificent sum that was mentioned, eh? Five times the sum, or ten times, with this Gringo tiger blowing down law and order and our good jail-walls, would be nearer the mark.”1916, Jack London, chapter VI, in Hearts of Three, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, published 1920, page 82:
Has the princely generous Dr. Townsend turned traitor to the old folks?1938 December 11, “Dr. Townsend Shaves His Plan”, in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, volume 91, number 97, St. Louis, Mo., page 2F:
Ron was blithely standing at the window looking out. He was princely dressed in a black suit, and a cream-colored polo sweater. Ron turned around looking debonair as usual.2005, Paula Perry-McKay, Romance of a Lifetime, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 172:
These are the accepted truths to all who encountered or knew of the princely dressed first sacker, whose three-piece suits and brown velvet derby defined him.2006, Thomas Porky McDonald, “Beyond the Plate”, in Never These Men: One Man’s Look at Baseball’s Creatively Cultured Figures, Bloomington, Ind.; Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse, section “Tallman Tales”, page 187: