Tilly

//ˈtɪli// adj, name, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Containing till (unsorted glacial sediment).
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A diminutive of the female given name Matilda.

    "Tilly's name is Matilda. It was typical of Mum and Dad that they wouldn't let her be called Tilly when she came to them because that was the unusual shortening of Matilda, the unconventional one, and you never did unconventional things, you never did things to draw attention to yourself. So they called her Matty."

  2. 2
    A number of places in France. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A surname transferred from the given name.
  4. 4
    A surname from Old French. countable, uncountable

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Noun
  1. 1
    An extra product given to a customer at no additional charge; a lagniappe. Ireland

    "Myles: "Indeed your Honour may safely say so : Iwas ploughing away […] when I bethought how I forgot to tell little Jem, when he'd be buying my pen'orth of snuff, to be sure to get it in two separate ha'porths, the way he'd have the two tillies. So what could Ido but run home, to […] go myself for the snuff, and be sure to get my tillies."

  2. 2
    A small open-backed truck. UK

    "After a fortnight's careful nursing my leg healed and I was packed off in a tilly (utility truck) with my kit-bag to join my comrades at Fairmilehead."

  3. 3
    Alternative letter-case form of tilly. alt-of

    "By the time he stooped to lift him up, we were all in the Tilly that Fiver had brought out to meet us."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Irish tuilleadh (“more”).

Etymology 2

From WWII British Army usage Tilly (“name of a range of British Army vehicles”), from utility.

Etymology 3

From till + -y.

Etymology 4

* (given name, nickname): Shortened from Matilda, + -y. * (surname): The surname may also have origins as a matronymic from Matilda.

Etymology 5

From French Tilly. Habitational surname from places in France named Tilly, brought to England by the Normans.

Etymology 6

Diminutive of utility.

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