kelpie

[kel-pee]

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noun

(in Scottish legends) a water spirit, usually having the form of a horse, reputed to cause drownings or to warn those in danger of drowning.

Origin of kelpie

First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

kelpie

[kel-pee]

noun

Australian kelpie.

Origin of kelpie

First recorded in 1905–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for kelpie

phantom, devil, demon, soul, shadow, specter, vision, vampire, apparition, spook, appearance, visitor, spirit, revenant, doppelganger, phantasm, kelpie, banshee, haunt, bogeyman

Examples from the Web for kelpie

Historical Examples of kelpie

It was the Kelpie, with an empty bag—a pillow-case, I believe—in her hand.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
My only excuse for them is, that I hoped by them to drive the Kelpie away.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
I began a series of persecutions of the Kelpie on my own account.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
The kelpie gave a hideous roar, and turned away to run from the wimble.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
I thought at first it was the Kelpie come after me, for it was a tall woman.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for kelpie

kelpie

kelpy

noun plural -pies

an Australian breed of sheepdog, originally developed from Scottish collies, having a smooth coat of various colours and erect ears

Word Origin for kelpie

named after a particular specimen of the breed, c. 1870

kelpie

noun

(in Scottish folklore) a water spirit in the form of a horse that drowned its riders

Word Origin for kelpie

C18: probably related to Scottish Gaelic cailpeach heifer, of obscure origin

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

Word Origin and History for kelpie

1747, Scottish, of unknown origin, perhaps related to Gaelic colpach "heifer, steer, colt;" colpa "cow, horse." The Lowland name of a demon in the shape of a horse that was reputed to haunt lakes and rivers and to delight in causing drownings. But unlike its equivalents in Danish (nøkken) and Icelandic (nykur), it occasionally was benevolent, especially to millers by keeping their streams running.