kelpie

1
[ kel-pee ]
See synonyms for kelpie on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (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

1
First recorded in 1740–50; origin uncertain

Words Nearby kelpie

Other definitions for kelpie (2 of 2)

kelpie2
[ kel-pee ]

Origin of kelpie

2
First recorded in 1905–10

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kelpie in a sentence

  • It is said; and you know of old that the kelpie sings or plays a strange tune to wile seamen to their death.

  • A like fate nearly befell the writer when fishing alone one day in a gloomy, forsaken, kelpie-haunted Border hill loch.

  • For the first hour and a half of that memorable sail, the kelpie ran lightly before a delicate breeze.

    The Messenger | Elizabeth Robins
  • And now do I believe that they are still at play in the crystal halls of the water kelpie, whence no man can rescue them.

    The Thirsty Sword | Robert Leighton
  • Had Ghaoth slain the kelpie, and was he now perishing there with his teeth fixed in the neck of the Sea-Woman?

British Dictionary definitions for kelpie (1 of 2)

kelpie1

kelpy

/ (ˈkɛlpɪ) /


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

Origin of kelpie

1
named after a particular specimen of the breed, c. 1870

British Dictionary definitions for kelpie (2 of 2)

kelpie2

/ (ˈkɛlpɪ) /


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

Origin of kelpie

2
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