sally

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsæl.i/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French saillie (“a rushing forth”), the noun use of the feminine past participle of saillir, to leap,^[2][3][4] from Latin salīre, to leap (see salient),^[2][3][5] cognate with Ancient Greek ἅλλομαι (hállomai), to leap.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A place from which a sudden attack is made: 1542, now obsolete;^[2][6] a sudden rush out of a besieged place against the enemy, 1560.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to make a sally, is from 1560, the 1540s in Etymonline.^[2][3] A sudden start into activity is from 1605,^[6] and an excursion or outing from 1657.^[6] Figuratively it was used in the 17th century of spiritual matters and in the 18th of wit,^[3] giving the sense of a witty remark.^[4][7] The sally port, a gate in a fortification for troops making a sally, is from the 1640s.^[3]

Timeline

• 1542 – a place for sallies.^[2]
• 1560 – a sortie; to sally (verb).^[2]
• 1605 – a sudden start.^[6]
• 1640s – sally port.^[3]
• 18th century – a witty remark.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sudden rush out from a defensive position to attack; a sortie.
2. A sudden outburst of action or feeling.
3. A witty or lively remark; a quip.
4. A short trip or outing.

Verb

1. To rush out suddenly, especially to attack.
2. To set out on a trip, with forth.

Word family

• sallier
• outsally

Related words

• salient
• assail
• assault
• sauté

Usage notes

In Britain, the Sally or Sally Army is an informal name for the Salvation Army,^[8] an alteration of salvation according to the NODE, probably from the name Sally according to Merriam-Webster.^[9][5]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press