billy

[ bil-ee ]
/ ˈbɪl i /

noun, plural bil·lies.

Also called billy club. a police officer's club or baton.
a heavy wooden stick used as a weapon; cudgel.
Scot. Dialect. comrade.
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.
Textiles. (in Great Britain) a roving machine.

Origin of billy

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

Definition for billy (2 of 6)

Billy
[ bil-ee ]
/ ˈbɪl i /

noun

a male given name, form of William.
Also Bil·lye. a female given name.

Definition for billy (3 of 6)

Graham
[ grey-uh m, gram ]
/ ˈgreɪ əm, græm /

noun

Katharine Meyer,1917–2001, U.S. newspaper publisher.
Martha,1894–1991, U.S. dancer and choreographer.
Thomas,1805–69, Scottish chemist.
William FranklinBilly,born 1918, U.S. evangelist.
a male given name: from an Old English word meaning “gray home.”

Definition for billy (4 of 6)

Strayhorn
[ strey-hawrn ]
/ ˈstreɪˌhɔrn /

noun

WilliamBilly,1915–67, U.S. jazz pianist and composer: collaborator with Duke Ellington.

Definition for billy (5 of 6)

Bishop
[ bish-uh p ]
/ ˈbɪʃ əp /

noun

Elizabeth,1911–79, U.S. poet.
HazelGladys,1906–1998, U.S. chemist and businesswoman.
John Peale,1892–1944, U.S. poet and essayist.
Morris (Gilbert),1893–1973, U.S. humorist, poet, and biographer.
William AveryBilly,1894–1956, Canadian aviator: helped to establish Canadian air force.

Definition for billy (6 of 6)

Bitzer
[ bit-ser ]
/ ˈbɪt sər /

noun

George WilliamJohann Gottlob Wilhelm BitzerBilly,1872–1944, U.S. cinematographer.

Example sentences from the Web for billy

British Dictionary definitions for billy (1 of 7)

billy 1
/ (ˈbɪlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

US and Canadian a wooden club esp a police officer's truncheon

Word Origin for billy

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

British Dictionary definitions for billy (2 of 7)

billy 2

billycan (ˈbɪlɪˌkæn)

/ (ˈbɪlɪ) /

noun plural -lies or -lycans

a metal can or pot for boiling water, etc, over a campfire
Australian and NZ (as modifier) billy-tea
Australian and NZ informal to make tea

Word Origin for billy

C19: from Scot billypot cooking vessel

British Dictionary definitions for billy (3 of 7)

bishop
/ (ˈbɪʃəp) /

noun

(in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Greek Orthodox Churches) a clergyman having spiritual and administrative powers over a diocese or province of the Church See also suffragan Related adjective: episcopal
(in some Protestant Churches) a spiritual overseer of a local church or a number of churches
a chesspiece, capable of moving diagonally over any number of unoccupied squares of the same colour
mulled wine, usually port, spiced with oranges, cloves, etc

Word Origin for bishop

Old English biscop, from Late Latin epīscopus, from Greek episkopos, from epi- + skopos watcher

British Dictionary definitions for billy (4 of 7)

Bishop
/ (ˈbɪʃəp) /

noun

Elizabeth . 1911–79, US poet, who lived in Brazil. Her poetry reflects her travelling experience, esp in the tropics

British Dictionary definitions for billy (5 of 7)

graham
/ (ˈɡreɪəm) /

noun

(modifier) mainly US and Canadian made of graham flour graham crackers

Word Origin for graham

C19: named after S. Graham (1794–1851), American dietetic reformer

British Dictionary definitions for billy (6 of 7)

Graham
/ (ˈɡreɪəm) /

noun

Martha. 1893–1991, US dancer and choreographer
Thomas. 1805–69, British physicist: proposed Graham's law (1831) of gaseous diffusion and coined the terms osmosis, crystalloids, and colloids
William Franklin, known as Billy Graham. born 1918, US evangelist

British Dictionary definitions for billy (7 of 7)

Strayhorn
/ (ˈstreɪˌhɔːn) /

noun

Billy, full name William Strayhorn. 1915–67, US jazz composer and pianist, noted esp for his association (1939–67) with Duke Ellington

Medical definitions for billy

Bishop
[ bĭshəp ]
J. Michael Born 1936

American microbiologist. He shared a 1989 Nobel Prize for discovering a sequence of genes that can cause cancer when mutated.

Scientific definitions for billy

Bishop
[ bĭshəp ]
(John) Michael Born 1936

American molecular biologist who, working with Harold Varmus, discovered oncogenes. For this work, Bishop and Varmus shared the 1989 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.

Cultural definitions for billy

bishop

In some Christian churches, a person appointed to oversee a group of priests or ministers and their congregations. In the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, bishops are considered the successors of the Twelve Apostles.