Matilda
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Either of two British infantry tanks in use during World War II, the Infantry Tank Mark I or Infantry Tank Mark II. UK, historical
- 2 A bundle of possessions, often tied up in a sack; a swag. Australia
"1906, A. B. Paterson, On The Road to Gundagai, The Old Bush Songs, Gutenberg eBook #10493, In a week the spree was over and the cheque was all knocked down, / So we shouldered our “Matildas,” and we turned our backs on town, / And the girls they stood a nobbler as we sadly said “Good bye,” / And we tramped from Lazy Harry’s, not five miles from Gundagai;"
- 3 A swag or bluey carried by a swagman or swagwoman. Australia, historical
"Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda, with me.'"
- 1 A female given name from the Germanic languages.
"But wondrously begotten, and begonne / By false illusion of a guilefull Spright, / On a faire Ladie Nonne, that whilome hight / Matilda, daughter to Pubidius, […]"
Example
More examples"John granted five charters to the City, and in this third charter he restored to the citizens two privileges, of which they had been deprived by Matilda and Henry II."
Etymology
From Middle English Matilda, from Old French Mathilde, from Old High German Mahthilt, Mehthilt, from Proto-Germanic *Mahtihildiz; compare German Mechthild, Old English Mæþhild (“Matilda”).
Unknown.
Related phrases
More for "matilda"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.