Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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

"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 gillie

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

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.

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

That paragon of puritanical virtue, Queen Victoria, was thought by some of her contemporaries to be the secret wife of Disraeli or the secret mistress of her Scottish gillie, John Brown.

From Time Magazine Archive

A pelican, taken from its cage to pose for a news-camera, wandered over to the fish exhibition and was diving for one of the lion-headed goldfish when interrupted by a goldfish gillie.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sir Alan was setting his face against a steep brae when he was 324 stopped by the bare-legged gillie who acted as our guide.

From McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 4, September 1893 by Various