gillie

American  

[gil-ee] / ˈgɪl i /

Or gilly

noun

1. Scot.

   1. a hunting or fishing guide.

   2. a male attendant or personal servant to a Highland chieftain.

2. ghillie.

---

gillie British  

/ ˈɡɪlɪ /

noun

1. an attendant or guide for hunting or fishing

2. (formerly) a Highland chieftain's male attendant or personal servant

---

Etymology

Origin of gillie

First recorded in 1590–1600, gillie is from the Scots Gaelic word gille lad, servant

Example Sentences

He's what's known as a "gillie" and manages fishing along a stretch of the Wye – a river once famous for its Atlantic salmon fishing.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

First she lost her adored husband, Albert, and never got over it, and then John Brown, her beloved Scots gillie, died on her.

From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2017

How times have changed last week appeared when English papers suppressed the fact that a Scotch gillie had been caught under the eye by birdshot fired by a guest of J. P. Morgan.

From Time Magazine Archive

As a guest of Queen Victoria, Landseer went deerstalking with a gillie from Balmoral.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even when we were in Scotland the gillie took you for some titled aristocrat, you were so lavish with your money.

From Lover or Friend by Carey, Rosa Nouchette