dicky

UK: /ˈdɪki/ US: (dik′ē)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dick•y  (dik′ē), n., pl. dick•ies. 

1. Animal Husbandry, Birds, British Terms, Clothing dickey¹.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dicky, dickey / ˈdɪkɪ/ noun (dickies, dickeys)

1. a woman's false blouse front, worn to fill in the neck of a jacket or low-cut dress
2. Also called: dicky bow a bow tie
3. Also called: dickybird, dickeybird a child's word for a bird, esp a small one
4. a folding outside seat at the rear of some early cars

Etymology: 18th Century (in the senses: donkey, shirt front): from Dickey, diminutive of Dick (name); the relationship of the various senses is obscure

dicky, dickey / ˈdɪkɪ/ adjective (dickier, dickiest)

1. in bad condition; shaky, unsteady, or unreliable: I feel a bit dicky today

Etymology: 18th Century: perhaps from the name Dick in the phrase as queer as Dick's hatband feeling ill

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dick•ey¹ or dick•y /ˈdɪki/   n. [countable] , pl. -eys or -ies. 

1. Clothing a garment that resembles the front or collar of a shirt, worn under a jacket or dress.
2. Birds a small bird.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dick•ey¹  (dik′ē), n., pl. -eys. 

1. Clothing an article of clothing made to look like the front or collar of a shirt, blouse, vest, etc., worn as a separate piece under another garment, as a jacket or dress. Cf. vest (def. 2), vestee. 
2. Clothing a detachable linen shirt collar.
3. Clothing a bib or pinafore worn by a child.
4. Birds a small bird.
5. Animal Husbandry a donkey, esp. a male.
6. an outside seat on a carriage.
7. [Brit.] See rumble seat (def. 1).

Also, dicky, dick′ie. 

• generic use of Dicky, diminutive of Dick, proper name 1745–55

dick•ey²  (dik′ē), adj. [Chiefly Brit. Slang.]

1. Slang Terms not working properly;
   faulty:
   I'm fed up with this dickey air conditioner.

• origin, originally uncertain 1805–15

Dick•ey  (dik′ē), n. 

1. Biographical James, 1923–97, U.S. poet and novelist.