billy
[ bil-ee ]
/ ˈbɪl i /
noun, plural bil·lies.
Also called billy club. a police officer's club or baton.
a heavy wooden stick used as a weapon; cudgel.
Scot. Dialect. comrade.
Also called bil·ly·can [bil-ee-kan] /ˈbɪl iˌkæn/. Australian. any container in which water may be carried and boiled over a campfire, ranging from a makeshift tin can to a special earthenware kettle; any pot or kettle in which tea is boiled over a campfire.
Textiles. (in Great Britain) a roving machine.
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Nearby words
Origin of billy
perhaps all independently derived generic uses of Billy (male name); for Australian sense compare Scots dialect billy-pot cooking pot
Definition for billy (2 of 6)
Definition for billy (3 of 6)
Graham
[ grey-uh m, gram ]
/ ˈgreɪ əm, græm /
noun
Katharine Meyer,1917–2001, U.S. newspaper publisher.
Martha,1894–1991, U.S. dancer and choreographer.
Thomas,1805–69, Scottish chemist.
William FranklinBilly, born 1918, U.S. evangelist.
a male given name: from an Old English word meaning “gray home.”
Definition for billy (4 of 6)
Strayhorn
[ strey-hawrn ]
/ ˈstreɪˌhɔrn /
noun
WilliamBilly, 1915–67, U.S. jazz pianist and composer: collaborator with Duke Ellington.
Definition for billy (5 of 6)
Bishop
[ bish-uh p ]
/ ˈbɪʃ əp /
noun
Elizabeth,1911–79, U.S. poet.
HazelGladys, 1906–1998, U.S. chemist and businesswoman.
John Peale,1892–1944, U.S. poet and essayist.
Morris (Gilbert),1893–1973, U.S. humorist, poet, and biographer.
William AveryBilly, 1894–1956, Canadian aviator: helped to establish Canadian air force.
Definition for billy (6 of 6)
Bitzer
[ bit-ser ]
/ ˈbɪt sər /
noun
George WilliamJohann Gottlob Wilhelm BitzerBilly, 1872–1944, U.S. cinematographer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for billy
British Dictionary definitions for billy (1 of 7)
billy
1/ (ˈbɪlɪ) /
noun plural -lies
US and Canadian a wooden club esp a police officer's truncheon
Word Origin for billy
C19: special use of the name Billy, pet form of William
British Dictionary definitions for billy (2 of 7)
billy
2billycan (ˈbɪlɪˌkæn)
/ (ˈbɪlɪ) /
noun plural -lies or -lycans
a metal can or pot for boiling water, etc, over a campfire
Australian and NZ (as modifier)billy-tea
Australian and NZ informal to make tea
Word Origin for billy
C19: from Scot billypot cooking vessel
British Dictionary definitions for billy (3 of 7)
bishop
/ (ˈbɪʃəp) /
noun
(in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Greek Orthodox Churches) a clergyman having spiritual and administrative powers over a diocese or province of the ChurchSee also suffragan Related adjective: episcopal
(in some Protestant Churches) a spiritual overseer of a local church or a number of churches
a chesspiece, capable of moving diagonally over any number of unoccupied squares of the same colour
mulled wine, usually port, spiced with oranges, cloves, etc
Word Origin for bishop
Old English biscop, from Late Latin epīscopus, from Greek episkopos, from epi- + skopos watcher
British Dictionary definitions for billy (4 of 7)
Bishop
/ (ˈbɪʃəp) /
noun
Elizabeth . 1911–79, US poet, who lived in Brazil. Her poetry reflects her travelling experience, esp in the tropics
British Dictionary definitions for billy (5 of 7)
graham
/ (ˈɡreɪəm) /
noun
(modifier) mainly US and Canadian made of graham flourgraham crackers
Word Origin for graham
C19: named after S. Graham (1794–1851), American dietetic reformer
British Dictionary definitions for billy (6 of 7)
Graham
/ (ˈɡreɪəm) /
noun
Martha. 1893–1991, US dancer and choreographer
Thomas. 1805–69, British physicist: proposed Graham's law (1831) of gaseous diffusion and coined the terms osmosis, crystalloids, and colloids
William Franklin, known as Billy Graham. born 1918, US evangelist
British Dictionary definitions for billy (7 of 7)
Strayhorn
/ (ˈstreɪˌhɔːn) /
noun
Billy, full name William Strayhorn. 1915–67, US jazz composer and pianist, noted esp for his association (1939–67) with Duke Ellington
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for billy
Bishop
[ bĭsh′əp ]
American microbiologist. He shared a 1989 Nobel Prize for discovering a sequence of genes that can cause cancer when mutated.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for billy
Bishop
[ bĭsh′əp ]
American molecular biologist who, working with Harold Varmus, discovered oncogenes. For this work, Bishop and Varmus shared the 1989 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for billy
bishop
In some Christian churches, a person appointed to oversee a group of priests or ministers and their congregations. In the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, bishops are considered the successors of the Twelve Apostles.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.