What is "collie"

Dog \Dog\ (d[o^]g), n. [AS. docga; akin to D. dog mastiff, Dan. dogge, Sw. dogg.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A quadruped of the genus Canis, esp. the domestic dog ( Canis familiaris).

   Note: The dog is distinguished above all others of the inferior animals for intelligence, docility, and attachment to man. There are numerous carefully bred varieties, as the akita, beagle, bloodhound, bulldog, coachdog, collie, Danish dog, foxhound, greyhound, mastiff, pointer, poodle, St. Bernard, setter, spaniel, spitz dog, terrier, German shepherd, pit bull, Chihuahua, etc. There are also many mixed breeds, and partially domesticated varieties, as well as wild dogs, like the dingo and dhole. (See these names in the Vocabulary.)

2. A mean, worthless fellow; a wretch.

   What is thy servant, which is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? -- 2 Kings viii. 13 (Rev. Ver. )

3. A fellow; -- used humorously or contemptuously; as, a sly dog; a lazy dog. [Colloq.]

4. (Astron.) One of the two constellations, Canis Major and Canis Minor, or the Greater Dog and the Lesser Dog. Canis Major contains the Dog Star (Sirius).

5. An iron for holding wood in a fireplace; a firedog; an andiron.

6. (Mech.)

   1. A grappling iron, with a claw or claws, for fastening into wood or other heavy articles, for the purpose of raising or moving them.

   2. An iron with fangs fastening a log in a saw pit, or on the carriage of a sawmill.

   3. A piece in machinery acting as a catch or clutch; especially, the carrier of a lathe, also, an adjustable stop to change motion, as in a machine tool.

7. an ugly or crude person, especially an ugly woman. [slang]

8. a hot dog. [slang]

   Note: Dog is used adjectively or in composition, commonly in the sense of relating to, or characteristic of, a dog. It is also used to denote a male; as, dog fox or g-fox, a male fox; dog otter or dog-otter, dog wolf, etc.; -- also to denote a thing of cheap or mean quality; as, dog Latin.

   A dead dog, a thing of no use or value.
   --1 Sam. xxiv. 14.

   A dog in the manger, an ugly-natured person who prevents others from enjoying what would be an advantage to them but is none to him.

   Dog ape (Zo["o]l.), a male ape.

   Dog cabbage, or Dog's cabbage (Bot.), a succulent herb, native to the Mediterranean region ( Thelygonum Cynocrambe).

   Dog cheap, very cheap. See under Cheap.

   Dog ear (Arch.), an acroterium. [Colloq.]

   Dog flea (Zo["o]l.), a species of flea ( Pulex canis) which infests dogs and cats, and is often troublesome to man. In America it is the common flea. See Flea, and Aphaniptera.

   Dog grass (Bot.), a grass ( Triticum caninum) of the same genus as wheat.

   Dog Latin, barbarous Latin; as, the dog Latin of pharmacy.

   Dog lichen (Bot.), a kind of lichen ( Peltigera canina) growing on earth, rocks, and tree trunks, -- a lobed expansion, dingy green above and whitish with fuscous veins beneath.

   Dog louse (Zo["o]l.), a louse that infests the dog, esp. H[ae]matopinus piliferus; another species is Trichodectes latus.

   Dog power, a machine operated by the weight of a dog traveling in a drum, or on an endless track, as for churning.

   Dog salmon (Zo["o]l.), a salmon of northwest America and northern Asia; -- the gorbuscha; -- called also holia, and hone.

   Dog shark. (Zo["o]l.) See Dogfish.

   Dog's meat, meat fit only for dogs; refuse; offal.

   Dog Star. See in the Vocabulary.

   Dog wheat (Bot.), Dog grass.

   Dog whelk (Zo["o]l.), any species of univalve shells of the family Nassid[ae], esp. the Nassa reticulata of England.

   To give to the dogs, or To throw to the dogs, to throw away as useless. ``Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it.''
   --Shak.

   To go to the dogs, to go to ruin; to be ruined.

1650s, possibly from dialectal coaly "coal-black," the color of some breeds (compare colley, "sheep with black face and legs," attested from 1793; Middle English colfox, "coal-fox," a variety of fox with tail and both ears tipped with black; and colley, Somerset dialectal name for "blackbird"). Or from Scandinavian proper name Colle, which is known to have been applied to dogs in Middle English ("Ran Colle our dogge, and Talbot, and Gerlond" [Chaucer]); or perhaps a convergence of the two.

n. Any of various breeds of dog originating in Scotland and England as sheepdogs

n. a silky-coated sheepdog with a long ruff and long narrow head developed in Scotland

The collie is a distinctive type of herding dog, including many related landraces and standardised breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. The collie is a medium-sized, fairly lightly built dog, with a pointed snout. Many types have a distinctive white pattern over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, and most types of collies have a very strong herding instinct. Collie breeds have spread through many parts of the world (especially Australia and North America) and have diversified into many varieties, sometimes with mixture from other dog types. Some collie breeds have remained as working dogs, used for herding cattle, sheep and other livestock, while others are kept as pets, show dogs or for dog sports, in which they display great agility, stamina and trainability. While the AKC has a breed they call "Collie", in fact collie dogs are a distinctive type of herding dog including many related landraces and formal breeds. There are usually major distinctions between show dogs and those bred for herding trials or dog sports. They typically display great agility, stamina and trainability and more importantly sagacity.

Common use of the name "collie" in some areas is limited largely to certain breeds – such as to the Rough Collie in parts of the United States, or to the Border Collie in many rural parts of Great Britain. Many collie types do not actually include "collie" in their name.

Collie or Colly may mean: