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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Origin of billy
perhaps all independently derived generic uses of Billy (male name); for Australian sense compare Scots dialect billy-pot cooking pot
Words nearby billy
Definition for billy (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for billy
British Dictionary definitions for billy (1 of 2)
billy1
/ (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 2)
billy2
billycan (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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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