Spinney
name, noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A small copse or wood, especially one planted as a shelter for game birds. UK
"“H'm !" he said, "so, so — it is a tragedy in a prologue and three acts. I am going down this afternoon to see the curtain fall for the third time on what […] will prove a good burlesque ; but it all began dramatically enough. It was last Saturday […] that two boys, playing in the little spinney just outside Wembley Park Station, came across three large parcels done up in American cloth. […]”"
- 2 Synonym of spinnaker.
- 3 a copse that shelters game wordnet
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"“H'm !" he said, "so, so — it is a tragedy in a prologue and three acts. I am going down this afternoon to see the curtain fall for the third time on what […] will prove a good burlesque ; but it all began dramatically enough. It was last Saturday […] that two boys, playing in the little spinney just outside Wembley Park Station, came across three large parcels done up in American cloth. […]”"
Etymology
From Middle English spenné, from Middle French espinoye (“thorny thicket”), espinaye, from Latin spīnētum (“thorny thicket”), from Latin spīna (“thorn”).
Clipping of spinnaker + -y.
Related phrases
More for "spinney"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.