off-lyingadj.
/ˈɒfˌlʌɪɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈɔfˌlaɪɪŋ/, /ˈɑfˌlaɪɪŋ/ Lying some way off, at a distance, or out of the way; remote; situated or placed some distance from or separately from the central or main part.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adjective] > remote or inaccessible
outc1425
inaccessible?a1475
out-way1532
deviate1575
unaccessible1596
reachless1597
devious1599
wandering1600
untouchable1622
outlying1651
back1683
no-nationa1756
out-of-the-way1756
outlandish1792
eccentric1800
outworld1808
out-by1816
outside1847
off-lying1859
unget-at-able1862
far-out1887
far-back1900
1859 Examiner 24 Sept. 618/2 If the wreck still remains visible it is probable she lies upon some of the off-lying islets to the southward between Capes Crozier and Herschel.
1865 Pall Mall Gaz. 31 Aug. 1/1 The off-lying colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.
1886 F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads II. iv. xcviii. 373/2 An off-lying apartment in which she sleeps with her maids.
1903 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 66 352 It was an off-lying farm, so their machines were of very great advantage to the labouring men.
1958 P. Kemp No Colours or Crest (1960) iv. 67 The headland with its off-lying rocks and islands.
1984 Pract. Boat Owner Feb. 57/2 The seaward side of the island is littered with off-lying reefs.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1859