sally

¹

[ sal-ee ]

noun

, plural sal·lies.

1. a sortie of troops from a besieged place upon an enemy.
2. a sudden rushing forth or activity.
3. an excursion or trip, usually off the main course.
4. an outburst or flight of passion, fancy, etc.:

   a sally of anger.

5. a clever, witty, or fanciful remark.

   Synonyms: witticism, quip

6. Carpentry. a projection, as of the end of a rafter beyond the notch by which the rafter is fitted over the wall plate.

verb (used without object)

, sal·lied, sal·ly·ing.

1. to make a sally, as a body of troops from a besieged place.
2. to set out on a side trip or excursion.
3. to set out briskly or energetically.
4. (of things) to issue forth.

Sally

²

or Sal·lie

[ sal-ee ]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Sarah.

sally

¹

/ ˈsælɪ /

noun

1. a sudden violent excursion, esp by besieged forces to attack the besiegers; sortie
2. a sudden outburst or emergence into action, expression, or emotion
3. an excursion or jaunt
4. a jocular retort

verb

1. to make a sudden violent excursion
2. often foll by forth to go out on an expedition, etc
3. to come, go, or set out in an energetic manner
4. to rush out suddenly

Sally

²

/ ˈsælɪ /

noun

1. a member of the Salvation Army

sally

³

/ ˈsælɪ /

noun

1. the lower part of a bell rope, where it is caught at handstroke, into which coloured wool is woven to make a grip

Derived Forms

• ˈsallier, noun

Other Words From

• salli·er noun
• outsally verb (used with object) outsallied outsallying
• un·sally·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sally¹

1535–45; < Middle French saillie attack, noun use of feminine past participle of saillir to rush forward < Latin salīre to leap

Word History and Origins

Origin of sally¹

C16: from Old French saillie, from saillir to dash forwards, from Latin salīre to leap

Origin of sally²

C19: perhaps from an obsolete or dialect sense of sally ¹leaping movement

Example Sentences

KSM enters the complex through a “Sally Port,” a series of gates designed to allow just one vehicle in at a time.

From The Daily Beast

It will be the case of can the man and woman just be friends, in the answering of the question from When Harry Met Sally.

From The Daily Beast

Just try to find a mention of Sally Hemings at the Jefferson Memorial.

From The Daily Beast

Sally Beauty did not respond for comment by the time this article was published.

From The Daily Beast

Sally Beauty has also partnered with Susan G. Komen to sell special pink cosmetic products.

From The Daily Beast

This sally drew forth a general laugh, in which Miss Watling joined as heartily as the rest.

From Project Gutenberg

Folks are always giving the Stanleys half-worn clothes for little Sally, more than Sally can ever make use of.

From Project Gutenberg

“Oh, we know you are always gadding over here,” said Sally, laughing.

From Project Gutenberg

When I came to serve the dessert Sally was watching me with her eagle eye and her mouth watering.

From Project Gutenberg

Page after page—full of caustic satire, humorous sally and profound epigram—fairly bristles with merriment.

From Project Gutenberg