billy

[ bil-ee ]
See synonyms for billy on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bil·lies.
  1. Also called billy club. a police officer's club or baton.

  2. a heavy wooden stick used as a weapon; cudgel.

  1. Scot. Dialect. comrade.

  2. Also called bil·ly·can [bil-ee-kan]. /ˈbɪl iˌkæn/. Australian. any container in which water may be carried and boiled over a campfire, ranging from a makeshift tin can to a special earthenware kettle; any pot or kettle in which tea is boiled over a campfire.

  3. Textiles. (in Great Britain) a roving machine.

Origin of billy

1
Perhaps all independently derived generic uses of Billy (male name); for Australian sense compare Scots dialect billy-pot cooking pot

Words Nearby billy

Other definitions for Billy (2 of 2)

Billy
[ bil-ee ]

noun
  1. a male given name, form of William.

  2. Also Billye. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use billy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for billy (1 of 2)

billy1

/ (ˈbɪlɪ) /


nounplural -lies
  1. US and Canadian a wooden club esp a police officer's truncheon

Origin of billy

1
C19: special use of the name Billy, pet form of William

British Dictionary definitions for billy (2 of 2)

billy2

billycan (ˈbɪlɪˌkæn)

/ (ˈbɪlɪ) /


nounplural -lies or -lycans
  1. a metal can or pot for boiling water, etc, over a campfire

  2. Australian and NZ (as modifier): billy-tea

  1. Australian and NZ informal to make tea

Origin of billy

2
C19: from Scot billypot cooking vessel

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