colly

verb col·ly \ ˈkä-lē \

Definition of colly

collied; collying

transitive verb

dialectal, chiefly British

: to blacken with or as if with soot

Recent Examples of colly from the Web

On a brilliant Tuesday morning in mid-May, the Border collies Quinn and Max hopped the 7 a.m. ferry to Governors Island to look for geese.

— andy newman, New York Times, "Two Dogs on a Wild Goose Chase on Governors Island," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'colly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of colly

alteration of Middle English colwen, from Old English *colgian, from Old English col coal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1590

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Learn More about colly

See words that rhyme with colly

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up colly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

effigy

play

a figure representing a hated person

BROWSE DICTIONARY

colluvies

colluvium

colly

collyba

Collybia

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games