Etymology

willy willy

Today it means: A whirlwind, cyclone or tornado; a dust devil. Full definition →

First used 19th c.Yindjibarndi wili wili
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The story

  1. Yindjibarndi · derived fromwili wili
  2. English todaywilly willy

From Yindjibarndi wili wili (or a related language of northwest Australia).

First known use, by meaning

  • from 19th c. A whirlwind, cyclone or tornado; a dust devil.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.