kelpie
noun
Forms kelpies kelpy
- noun (Celtic mythology) A malevolent shapeshifting spirit, most often in the form of a horse, believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland.
- noun An Australian breed of sheepdog.
Synonyms
Etymology
Possibly from Scottish Gaelic cailpeach or colpach, meaning "colt"; recorded earliest in a placename (Kelpie hoall, Kirkcudbrightshire) in 17th century.
The dog breed, from 1889, derives from the name shared by the first two breeding bitches (dam and pup) in Victoria, Australia, which in turn derives from the mythological spirit.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An imaginary spirit of the waters, horselike in form, vulgarly believed to warn, by preternatural noises and lights, those who are to be drowned. Jamieson.
Etymology [Cf. Gael. cailpeach, calpach, colpach, a heifer, steer, colt, colpa a cow or horse.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “kelpie”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details