shimmy
[ shim-ee ]
/ ˈʃɪm i /
noun, plural shim·mies.
an American ragtime dance marked by shaking of the hips and shoulders.
excessive wobbling in the front wheels of a motor vehicle.
a chemise.
verb (used without object), shim·mied, shim·my·ing.
to dance the shimmy.
to shake, wobble, or vibrate.
Origin of shimmy
1830–40,
for def 3; 1915–20
for def 1; back formation and respelling of
chemise, construed as a plural
Words nearby shimmy
shimazaki,
shimizu,
shimla,
shimmer,
shimmery,
shimmy,
shimonoseki,
shin,
shin guard,
shin splints,
shinar
Example sentences from the Web for shimmy
British Dictionary definitions for shimmy
shimmy
/ (ˈʃɪmɪ) /
noun plural -mies
an American ragtime dance with much shaking of the hips and shoulders
abnormal wobbling motion in a motor vehicle, esp in the front wheels or steering
an informal word for chemise
verb -mies, -mying or -mied (intr)
to dance the shimmy
to vibrate or wobble
Word Origin for shimmy
C19: changed from
chemise, mistakenly assumed to be plural