Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A medium-to-large dog of a breed originating in Scotland as a sheepdog, having a long narrow muzzle and either a long thick straight coat or a short hard flat coat, depending on the variety.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A sheep-dog; a variety of dog especially common in Scotland, much esteemed by shepherds and also by dog-fanciers.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The Scotch shepherd dog. There are two breeds, the rough-haired and smooth-haired. It is remarkable for its intelligence, displayed especially in caring for flocks.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a silky-coated sheepdog with a long ruff and long narrow head developed in Scotland
Etymologies
- Scots, perhaps variant of colly, like coal, from Middle English col, coal; see coal.
Examples
“A woman bought a 5-month-old collie from a homeless person and surrendered it to society.”
“When Tait barked he started for a moment, but then came on steadily – a collie is rarely as formidable as an Irish terrier.”
“‘Cousin’, his grandmother’s border collie is a constant companion, whether Pete wants him to be or not.”
“We've got two dogs: an untrained bitch from the neighbouring Isle of Muck, and a schooled two-year-old collie, which is the most expensive thing I've ever bought £2,000 from a farmer in Dumfries.”
The Guardian: Back to the land: from London to sheep farming on Eigg
“If you call my collie a ` lang tyke, 'Hamish, I'll set him at you.”
“For months he studiously avoided them, calling his collie away with quite unnecessary caution if they happened to pass him on the road, and bolting into his own premises if they met near the gate.”
“She went away in the moonlight, saying good-night and calling her collie, and he walked up the slope to the house, curiously at peace with himself and the dim world hidden in the shadows around.”
“In any case, even when a collie is a genuine affectionate pet, his place is not in the house.”
The Ethics of Drink and Other Social Questions Joints In Our Social Armour
“Over the years they've had a long parade of cats and one very smart border collie, which is no doubt redundant.”
“A collie is a recognizable canine species, due in part to the popular television show,”
Lists
‘collie’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
treeseed Albert Payson Terhune (December 21, 1872 – February 18, 1942) was an American author, dog breeder, and journalist. He is best known for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kennels, the lines of which still exist in today's Rough Collies.
_Wikipedia
His book, Lad: A Dog is perhaps his best known work and is about a magnificent sable and white rough coated collie. Jan 27, 2008
chained_bear A sheepdog with very different appearance depending on whether it is a bearded, rough, or smooth collie. TV favorite "Lassie" (besides being a male dog) was a rough collie. Bearded collies look like Old English sheepdogs. Smooth collies look like Lassie joined the Marines and got a serious haircut. Feb 21, 2007