Definitions and meaning of pony
pony
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpəʊni/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpoʊni/
-
- Rhymes: -əʊni
Etymology 1
1659 from Scots powny, apparently from Middle French poulenet (“little foal”), ultimately from Late Latin pullanus (“young of an animal”), from pullus (cognate to English foal). Sense “small serving of alcohol” from 19th century, both for small sizes generally and for a quarter pint specifically, from the small size.
Noun
pony (plural ponies)
- A small horse; specifically, any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands at the withers.
- (endearing) A horse of any size.
- a contraption built like a mount, strong enough to support one's weight
- (regional) A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer.
- 1879, “Some Queer Interviews: Interview with a Pony of Beer”, Puck, Vol. 5–6, p. 435
- 1885, New York Journal, August:
- ‘I’m on the inside track,’ said a pony of beer as it went galloping down a man’s throat.
-
- (Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia) A serving of 140 millilitres of beer (formerly 5 fl oz); a quarter pint.
- (UK, slang) Twenty-five pounds (money).
- (US, slang) A translation used as a study aid; loosely, a crib, a cheat-sheet.
- (slang) A ponytail hairstyle.
- (automotive, slang) One horsepower.
- (preceded by definite article) A dance from the 1960s in which the dancer mimics the high-stepping prance of a pony.
- (slang) A chorus girl of small stature.
- (slang, derogatory, video games) Ellipsis of Sony pony.
Synonyms
- horseling (small horse)
- buck (mount)
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
Verb
pony (third-person singular simple present ponies, present participle ponying, simple past and past participle ponied)
- (transitive) To lead (a horse) from another horse.
- To use a crib or cheat-sheet in translating.
Etymology 2
Clipping of pony and trap, rhyming with crap.
Adjective
pony (not comparable)
- (Cockney rhyming slang) Of little worth.
Noun
pony (plural ponies)
- (Cockney rhyming slang) Crap; rubbish, nonsense.
References
Anagrams
Czech
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Noun
pony m anim (diminutive ponynek)
- pony
Declension
Further reading
- “pony”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
- “pony”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
- “pony”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025
Dutch
Etymology 1
Borrowed from English pony.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈpɔ.ni/, (uncommon) /ˈpoː.ni/
-
- Hyphenation: po‧ny
- Rhymes: -ɔni
Noun
pony m (plural pony's, diminutive pony'tje n)
- a pony, small horse breed
Derived terms
Descendants
See also
Etymology 2
Shortened back from ponyhaar.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈpɔ.ni/
-
- Hyphenation: po‧ny
- Rhymes: -ɔni
Noun
pony n or m (plural pony's, diminutive pony'tje n)
- a hairstyle with a fringe/bangs
Italian
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English pony.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈpɔ.ni/
- Rhymes: -ɔni
- Hyphenation: pò‧ny
Noun
pony m (invariable)
- pony
- pony express
Slovak
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Noun
pony m animal
- pony
Declension
Further reading
- “pony”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025
Spanish
Alternative forms
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English pony.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈponi/ [ˈpo.ni]
- Rhymes: -oni
- Syllabification: po‧ny
Noun
pony m (plural ponys)
- pony
Usage notes
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
Source: wiktionary.org