The word "burly" means gigantic and strong. A man or an animal with a muscular frame can be called burly. The term comes from the ancient English word "borlic," implying "excellent." The other synonyms which do justice to the word are robust, husky, sinewy, brawny, athletic etc.
The word should not be confused with "burley" which is a light brown tobacco found mainly in the Kentucky region. A person with a beefy build is known as burly. For example in the famous David-Goliath story, the latter was burly in size because of his meaty and gigantic frame while the former was a person of average build. The word burly is also a part of a compound word "hurly-burly" which means a cacophony or a noisy confusion.
The word should not be confused with "burley" which is a light brown tobacco found mainly in the Kentucky region. A person with a beefy build is known as burly. For example in the famous David-Goliath story, the latter was burly in size because of his meaty and gigantic frame while the former was a person of average build. The word burly is also a part of a compound word "hurly-burly" which means a cacophony or a noisy confusion.
