filly
[fil-ee]
- a young female horse.
- Informal. a girl or young woman.
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Origin of filly
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
offspring, filly, colt, mare, stallion, fledgling, sapling, foal, yearling, youngster, rookie, plug, pony, nag, steed, gelding, mustang, bronco, younglingExamples from the Web for filly
Contemporary Examples
But on May 30, Jackson announced he would not enter his filly, claiming she “deserves a well-earned vacation.”
Historical Examples
So, calling to his wife, the two of them together, tried their skill to catch the filly.
Welsh Fairy TalesWilliam Elliott Griffis
She kept striking her side—she fancied it was a help to the filly.
Where his fellow man had withheld, the filly had given her all and questioned not.
Garrison's FinishW. B. M. Ferguson
How long he stayed there, the filly nuzzling him like a mother, he did not know.
Garrison's FinishW. B. M. Ferguson
The handlers fell back in silence as Garrison approached the filly.
Garrison's FinishW. B. M. Ferguson
filly
- a female horse or pony under the age of four
- informal, rare a spirited girl or young woman
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Word Origin
C15: from Old Norse fylja; related to Old High German fulihha; see foal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for filly
n.
c.1400, fyly, possibly from Old Norse fylja, fem. of foli "foal" (see foal (n.)). Slang sense of "young girl" is from 1610s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper