# molly

Pronunciation: say "MOL-ee" US /ˈmɑli/, UK /ˈmɒli/

## Noun

1. MDMA in powder or crystal form, sold as pure but often mixed with or replaced by other drugs. *(slang)*
   - Simple: The drug MDMA as a powder or crystals. It is sold as pure, but it often contains other drugs.
   - _Medics at the festival treated several people who had taken molly in the summer heat._
   - _Prosecutors said the powder sold as molly was really a mix of cheaper drugs._
2. Any fish of the genus Poecilia other than the ones known as guppies.
   - Simple: A fish from the same group as the guppy, but not a guppy itself.
   - _The pet store keeps its mollies in a separate tank from the guppies._
   - _A molly darted out from behind the rock to grab the flakes of food._
3. A molly bolt, a metal anchor that spreads open behind a hollow wall so that a screw can hold in it.
   - Simple: A molly bolt, a metal holder that opens out behind a hollow wall so a screw can grip it.
   - _A nail won't hold the shelf in drywall, so put in a couple of mollies._
   - _The installer tightened the molly until its sleeve spread out behind the panel._
4. A female cat, usually one that has been spayed.
   - Simple: A female cat, usually one that has had an operation so it cannot have kittens.
   - _The vet confirmed that the stray was a molly, already spayed by a previous owner._
   - _We adopted a gray tabby molly from the shelter last spring._
5. In video games, a Molotov cocktail, the thrown bottle of fuel that bursts into flames. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In video games, a bottle bomb that you throw to start a fire.
   - _She threw a molly onto the bomb site to stop the defuse._
   - _The patch shortened how long mollies burn, so they are less useful for blocking doorways._

## Verb

6. Of a man, to engage in sexual activity with another man.
   - Simple: Of a man, to have sex with another man.

## Other meanings

- (noun) An effeminate man, or a gay man.
- (noun) A woman or girl, especially one of low social standing.
- (noun) A wagtail, the long-tailed bird named for the way it wags its tail.
- (noun) A mollemoke, a kind of ocean seabird.
- (noun) Another spelling of mali: a member of South Asia's traditional gardening caste, or any gardener in South Asia.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–4, 6** — The drug meaning was probably shaped by molecule, used as a name for MDMA. The word itself is the personal name Molly, a familiar form of Mary, though some uses may instead come from mollitia, meaning softness or weakness.
**Meaning 2** — Mollienesia, a genus name that taxonomists do not accept as valid, gave the word, and the personal name Molly influenced it.
**Meaning 5** — A shortening of Molotov.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/molly (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).