Nellie

Or Nel·ly

[nel-ee]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Helen.

2. (often lowercase)

   1. Offensive.,  a fussily effeminate male.

   2. Extremely Disparaging and Offensive.,  a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Nellie¹

First recorded in 1930–35 Nellie for def. 2

Idioms and Phrases

see nervous nellie.

Example Sentences

Her hand-dyed wool company, Nellie and Eve, in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, used to make about 30% of its sales to the US - but she has put them on hold.

From BBC

Rep. Nellie Pou of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Congressional Task Force for Enhancing Security for Special Events, held a public hearing last month on preparing for the World Cup and Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times

Nellie has definitely seen some things.

From Salon

The central character was conjured out of a deeply personal source—namely, the travails of Stephen King’s mother, Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King.

From Salon

Nellie’s husband abandoned the family when Stephen was a child, leaving her to bring up him and his brothers on paltry wages from menial jobs.

From Salon