† geryadj.
Obsolete.
Changeable, fitful, capricious.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] > capricious or whimsical
startfulmood?a1300
wildc1350
volage?a1366
gerfulc1374
geryc1386
wild-headeda1400
skittishc1412
gerish1430
shittle1440
shittle-witted1448
runningc1449
volageous1487
glaikit1488
fantasious1490
giggish1523
tickle or light of the sear?1530
fantastical1531
wayward1531
wantona1538
peevish1539
light-headed1549
humoral1573
unstaid1579
shittle-headed1580
toy-headed1581
fangled1587
humorous1589
choiceful1591
toyish1598
tricksy1598
skip-brain1603
capricious1605
humoursome1607
planetary1607
vertiginous1609
whimsieda1625
ingiddied1628
whimsy1637
toysome1638
cocklec1640
mercurial1647
garish1650
maggoty1650
kicksey-winseya1652
freakish1653
humourish1653
planetic1653
whimsical1653
shittle-braineda1655
freaking1663
maggoty-headed1667
maggot-pated1681
hoity-toity1690
maggotish1693
maggot-headeda1695
whimsy-headed1699
fantasque1701
crotchetly1702
quixotic1718
volatile1719
holloweda1734
conundrumical1743
flighty1768
fly-away1775
dizzy1780
whimmy1785
shy1787
whimming1787
quirky1789
notional1791
tricksome1815
vagarish1819
freakful1820
faddy1824
moodish1827
mawky1837
erratic1841
rockety1843
quirkish1848
maggoty-pated1850
crotchetya1854
freaksome1854
faddish1855
vagrom1882
fantasied1883
vagarisome1883
on-and-offish1888
tricksical1889
freaky1891
hobby-horsical1893
quirksome1896
temperamental1907
up and down1960
untogether1969
fanciful-
fantastic-
c1386 G. Chaucer Knight's Tale 678 Right as the friday, soothly for to telle, Now it shyneth, now it reyneth faste, Right so can geery Venus ouer caste The heirtes of hir folk.
1399 W. Langland Richard Redeles iii. 130 Gyuleris, Ioyfful, ffor here gery Iaces.
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. iv This gery fortune, this lady recheles.
1430–40 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes (1554) iii. vii. 80 The gery Romains, stormie and vnstable.
c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 24 A gery march his stondis doth disclose.
a1529 J. Skelton Ware the Hauke (1843) 66 His seconde hawke waxid gery, And was with flying wery.
Derivatives
ΚΠ
1616 J. Bullokar Eng. Expositor Gerifull, changeable: sometime cruell.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [noun]
unsteadfastnessa1300
falsenessc1330
unstablenessc1380
varyingc1380
inconstancec1386
variance1390
geriness1412
instabilityc1422
changeability?a1425
mutabilitya1425
changec1425
changeableness1447
unconstancec1449
unstabilitya1470
mutableness1481
unsureness1481
instableness1483
variation1509
inconstancy1526
shittleness1530
fickleness1548
unconstancy1548
unconstantness1551
inconstantness?a1562
pliableness1562
fast and loose1575
volubility1603
levity1604
unconstability1611
flexibleness1623
vagrancy1642
self-inconsistency1655
inconsistency1665
flittingnessa1680
easiness1705
inconsistence1713
versatility1755
contrariety1762
vibration1785
changefulness1791
girouettism1825
pirouettism1839
weathercockism1843
pirouettiveness1844
volatileness1849
unfixity1856
ficklety1888
1412–20 J. Lydgate tr. Hist. Troy i. v By gerinesse of this her reuolution.
a1420 T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum 69 I was adredde so of hir gerynesse.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1899; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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adj.c1386- to be hard stiffly stead
- to be hard straitly stead
- to be hard upon
- to be hat in hand to
- to be hatching
- to be haunted
- to be hell on
- to be hep to
- to be hepped on
- to be hepped to
- to be here
- to be here for
- to be here to stay
- to be herself
- to be high dutch to a person
- to be high up the stick
- to be himself
- to be hip to something
- to be hipped on
- to be hitting on all four or six
- to be hitting on all four or six cylinders
- to be hold oneself still
- to be holden
- to be holed below the waterline
- to be home to