lassie

diminutive of lass.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlæsi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æsi

lassie (plural lassies)

1. (chiefly Scotland, Northern England, Geordie, Northumbria) A young girl, a lass, especially one seen as a sweetheart.
   • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 27:

     I had been on a message for my father, and was walking home along the road, when I saw a tall, fine lassie coming over the bogland on the right hand side of the road.

   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

     It was the day of warlocks and apparitions, now happily driven out by the zeal of the General Assembly. Witches pursued their wanchancy calling, bairns were spirited away, young lassies selled their souls to the Evil One, and the Accuser of the Brethren, in the shape of a black tyke, was seen about cottage doors in the gloaming.

   • 1994 [1993], Irvine Welsh, “Bang to Rites”, in Trainspotting, London: Minerva, →ISBN, page 220:

     She was caught in this git-a-man, git-a-bairn, git-a-hoose shite that lassies git drummed intae them, and hud nae real chance ay defining hersel ootside ay they mashed-tattie-fir-brains terms ay reference.

   • 2012, “Green Grow the Rushes”, performed by Celtic Woman:

     Green grow the rushes, oh
     Green grow the rushes, oh
     The sweetest hours that e'er I spent
     Are spent among the lassies, oh

• lad

• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977

• Alesis, Alessi, Elissa, aisles, laisse, sailes, slaies

After English Lassie.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑsːie/,
• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑsːiː/,
• Rhymes: -ɑsːie
• Hyphenation^(key): las‧sie

lassie (colloquial)

1. rough collie (breed of dog)

• pitkäkarvainen collie
• skotlanninpaimenkoira

• “lassie”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Middle English, probably of North Germanic origin and related to Old Norse laskwa (“unmarried”) (feminine adjective), but of unknown ultimate origin.

lassie (plural lassies)

1. A young girl, a lass.