colly

[ kol-ee ]

verb (used with object),col·lied, col·ly·ing.
  1. to blacken as with coal dust; begrime.

noun
  1. grime; soot.

Origin of colly

1
1555–65; variant of collow (v.), Middle English colwen, derivative of Old English colcoal; see -y1

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

How to use colly in a sentence

  • We remember these words later, when the sun of reason is 'collied,' blackened and blotted out in total eclipse.

    Shakespearean Tragedy | A. C. Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for colly

colly

/ (ˈkɒlɪ) archaic, or dialect /


nounplural -lies
  1. soot or grime, such as coal dust

verbcollies, collying or collied
  1. (tr) to begrime; besmirch

Origin of colly

1
C16: ultimately from Old English col coal

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