sally

English Online Dictionary. What means sally‎? What does sally mean?

English

Alternative forms

• salley (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsæli/
• Rhymes: -æli

Etymology 1

From Middle English saly, from Old English saliġ, sealh (“willow”). More at sallow.

Noun

sally (plural sallies)

1. A willow
2. Any tree that looks like a willow
3. An object made from the above trees' wood

Derived terms

• sally-picker
• sally rod

Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French saillie, from sailli, the past participle of the verb saillir (“to leap forth”), itself from Latin salīre (“to leap”).

Noun

sally (plural sallies)

1. A sortie of troops from a besieged place against an enemy.
2. A sudden rushing forth.

3. (figuratively) A witty statement or quip, usually at the expense of one's interlocutor.
4. An excursion or side trip.
5. A tufted woollen part of a bellrope, used to provide grip when ringing a bell.

Related terms

• salient (cognate; both of these military terms come from a verb meaning "to leap forth", but in different ways)

Translations

See also

• sally port

Verb

sally (third-person singular simple present sallies, present participle sallying, simple past and past participle sallied)

1. (intransitive) To make a sudden attack (e.g. on an enemy from a defended position).

   The troops sallied in desperation.

   A feeding strategy of some birds is to sally out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch.

2. (intransitive) To set out on an excursion; venture; depart (often followed by "forth").
3. (intransitive) To venture off the beaten path.

Translations

Etymology 3

salvation +‎ -y

Noun

sally (plural sallies)

1. (New Zealand, slang) A member of the Salvation Army.

Synonyms

• Salvo

Related terms

• Sally Army

Etymology 4

Unknown.

Noun

sally (plural sallies)

1. A kind of stonefly.
2. A wren.

References

• “sally”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• Sylla, lylas, y'all's, y'alls