Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A medium-to-large dog of a breed originating in Scotland as a sheepdog, having a long narrow muzzle and either a long rough coat or a short smooth coat, depending on the variety.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A sheep-dog; a variety of dog especially common in Scotland, much esteemed by shepherds and also by dog-fanciers.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) 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.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of various
breeds ofdog originating inScotland andEngland assheepdogs
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a silky-coated sheepdog with a long ruff and long narrow head developed in Scotland
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A woman bought a 5-month-old collie from a homeless person and surrendered it to society.
D.C. animal watch Post 2010
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When Tait barked he started for a moment, but then came on steadily – a collie is rarely as formidable as an Irish terrier.
Mates at Billabong 1911
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‘Cousin’, his grandmother’s border collie is a constant companion, whether Pete wants him to be or not.
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‘Cousin’, his grandmother’s border collie is a constant companion, whether Pete wants him to be or not.
February 2009 2009
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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.
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"If you call my collie a ` lang tyke, 'Hamish, I'll set him at you.
Steve Young George Manville Fenn 1870
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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.
A Popular Schoolgirl Angela Brazil 1907
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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.
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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 James Runciman 1871
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Over the years they've had a long parade of cats and one very smart border collie, which is no doubt redundant.
chained_bear commented on the word collie
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.
February 21, 2007
treeseed commented on the word collie
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.
January 27, 2008