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Synonyms

dory

1 American  
[dawr-ee, dohr-ee] / ˈdɔr i, ˈdoʊr i /

noun

dories plural
  1. a boat with a narrow, flat bottom, high bow, and flaring sides.


dory 2 American  
[dawr-ee, dohr-ee] / ˈdɔr i, ˈdoʊr i /

noun

dories plural
  1. John Dory.


dory 1 British  
/ ˈdɔːrɪ /

noun

  1. any spiny-finned marine teleost food fish of the family Zeidae, esp the John Dory, having a deep compressed body

  2. another name for walleye walleye

"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

dory 2 British  
/ ˈdɔːrɪ /

noun

  1. a flat-bottomed rowing boat with a high bow, stern, and sides

"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

Etymology

Origin of dory1

First recorded in 1700–10, alleged to be from Miskito dóri, dúri (if this word is itself not from English )

Origin of dory2

1400–50; late Middle English dorre, dorray < Middle French doree (feminine past participle of dorer to gild) < Late Latin deaurāta; see dorado

Explanation

A dory is a large, flat-bodied fish with silver scales and big eyes. Most dories are found in the deepest waters of the ocean. The term dory includes fish from several different families. One thing they all have in common is their silvery color, which explains their name, rooted in the Middle French doree or "gilded one." Another kind of dory is a small, light fishing boat. A dory typically has a flat bottom and wide planks on its sides, and is designed to carry a large, heavy load, especially considering its small size.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You can’t build community trust when everything’s hunky dory.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023

Twitter has not yet said much at all in public, other than that it is cooperating with Musk and the deal is moving ahead and everything is hunky dory.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2022

While everything has seemed hunky dory so far for England, Denmark have been powered partly by the strength drawn from their traumatic start to the tournament.

From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2021

Mr Kambon concedes that not everything is "hunky dory" in Ghana.

From BBC • Aug. 23, 2019

In 1605 three laughing Indians in a canoe literally paddled circles round the lumbering dory rowed by traveler George Weymouth and seven other men.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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