derby
Pluralderbies
- 1Any of several horse races that are held every year.
Thousands of fans in fancy hats packed the stands for the derby.
Her colt is the early favorite to win this spring's derby.
Note
Every race of this name descends from one: the Epsom Derby, named for Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, whose title goes back in turn to the place name Derby. Other yearly races took the name over, so it is capitalized inside a particular race's title and lowercase as the general word.
- 2Any organized race or racing contest, not just one for horses.
Every summer the county fair ends with a duck derby, as hundreds of rubber ducks float down the river.
The scouts spent weeks building wooden cars for the downhill derby.
Similarrace
- 3A bowler hat, a stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and a narrow brim.
He tipped his derby to the ladies as he strolled down Main Street.
Old photographs show the factory clerks in dark suits and derbies.
Similarbowler
Note
Americans call this hat a derby; in Britain the same hat is a bowler, and derby there more readily suggests a race or a match. O. Henry's The Green Door (1906) has a man fan a fainting woman with his hat until he strikes her nose "with the brim of his derby." For readers outside the US, bowler is understood at once.
- 4A sports match between rival teams, especially teams from the same town or area.
Tickets for Sunday's local derby sold out within an hour.
The two soccer clubs share a city, so every derby between them is tense.
Note
It often comes as local derby, for a game between neighbors: two clubs from the same city or area. The name came over from the horse race, but what makes a match a derby is the rivalry rather than the sport, so any game between close rivals can earn the title.
Practice
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Origin
From the Epsom Derby horse race, named after Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby; ultimately from Derby.