Adjective

(en adjective)

Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something.

Relating to an elementary school.

(physics) Relating to a subatomic particle.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-03

, author=(Jeremy Bernstein) , title=A Palette of Particles , volume=100, issue=2, page=146 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=The physics of elementary particles in the 20th century was distinguished by the observation of particles whose existence had been predicted by theorists sometimes decades earlier.}}

(archaic) Sublunary; not celestial; belonging to the sublunary sphere, to which the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) were confined; composed of or pertaining to these four elements.

Adjective

(er)

(label) Pitiable; deserving of compassion; helpless.

* 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , I.vi:

A silly man, in simple weedes forworne, / And soild with dust of the long dried way; / His sandales were with toilesome trauell torne, / And face all tand with scorching sunny ray

* (Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)

After long storms with which my silly bark was tossed sore.

* (Samuel Taylor Coleridge) (1772-1834)

The silly buckets on the deck.

(label) Simple, unsophisticated, ordinary; rustic, ignorant.

* 1633 , (John Donne), "Sapho to Philænis":

For, if we justly call each silly man'' / A ''little island , What shall we call thee than?

* (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)

A fourth man, in a silly habit.

* (John Milton) (1608-1674)

All that did their silly thoughts so busy keep.

Foolish, showing a lack of good sense and wisdom; frivolous, trifling.

Irresponsible, showing irresponsible behaviors.

Semiconscious, witless.

(label) Of a fielding position, very close to the batsman; closer than short.

Simple, not intelligent, unrefined.

* {{quote-book, year=1935, author= George Goodchild

, title=Death on the Centre Court, chapter=1 , passage=“Anthea hasn't a notion in her head but to vamp a lot of silly mugwumps. She's set her heart on that tennis bloke

(label) Happy; fortunate; blessed.

(Chaucer)

(label) Harmless; innocent; inoffensive.

* (Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)

The silly virgin strove him to withstand.

* Robynson (More's Utopia)

A silly , innocent hare murdered of a dog.