To lie down in a downward direction; to recline or rest in a lowered position.
Compound of 'down' (Old English 'dūn') and 'lie' (Old English 'licgan'), combining the direction 'down' with the action of lying to create a descriptive verb.
Old English combined words much more freely than modern English does—we'd now just say 'lie down' instead of 'downlie,' showing how English simplified its word formation over centuries!
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