Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

roly-poly

/ˈɹoʊliˈpoʊli/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.36 in modern English

Syllables
roly-poly
IPA
/ˈɹoʊliˈpoʊli/
16
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A toy that rights itself when pushed over.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A short, plump person (especially a child).

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

noun

A forward roll or sideways roll.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Synonym of tumbleweed (“any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots once dry, forming a light, rolling mass which is driven by the wind from place to place”); specifically, the prickly Russian thistle (Kali tragus or Salsola tragus).

Australian usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A baked or steamed pudding made from suet pastry which is spread with fruit or jam (or occasionally other fillings) and then rolled up.

British usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

In full roly-poly bug: a small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed, such as a woodlouse (suborder Oniscidea, especially a pill bug (family Armadillidiidae) or a sowbug (family Porcellionidae)) or a pill millipede (superorder Oniscomorpha).

Canadian usage; American usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A mischievous or worthless person; a scoundrel, a rascal.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

An activity or game involving rolling.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is apparently derived from roll (“to turn over and over”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant. Compare rolly (“having the ability to roll, rolling”, adjective), which is attested since the 19th century. Noun sense 1.7 (“mischievous or worthless person”) is possibly influenced by poll (“head; (archaic) scalp; (by extension) person”). The adjective and adverb are attested later than the noun, and so are probably derived from it.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹoʊliˈpoʊli/
  • British English: /ˌɹəʊlɪˈpəʊli/

Usage

Inflected Forms

roly-polys (plural) roly-polies (plural) rolly polly (alternative) rolly-poly (alternative) rolly-pooly (alternative) more roly-poly (comparative) most roly-poly (superlative)

Synonyms

All are derogatory unless otherwise labeled butterball chod chodder chubbs chubster chunker chunky monkey elephant fat fatfuck fatso

Questions

How do you pronounce roly-poly?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹoʊliˈpoʊli/.
What does roly-poly mean?
A toy that rights itself when pushed over.
Where does roly-poly come from?
The noun is apparently derived from roll (“to turn over and over”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant. Compare rolly (“having the ability to roll, rolling”, adjective), which is attested since the 19th century. Noun sense 1.7 (“mischievous or worthless person”) is possibly influenced by poll (“head; (archaic) scalp; (by extension) person”). The adjective and adverb are attested later than the noun, and so are probably derived from it.

How to pronounce roly-poly

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “roly-poly”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹoʊliˈpoʊli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “roly-poly”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “roly-poly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.