Meanings
guernsey1
plural guernseys · alternative gansey · alternative ganzy · alternative ganzee
- A seaman's knitted woolen sweater, similar to a jersey.
At work I wore a guernsey, or a singlet if it was too hot in the greenhouses; but when I sat on the galley wall of a Sunday evening watching the girls pass, I was wearing my best.
1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York, published 2007, page 33 - AustraliaAustralian rules footballThe shirt worn by the players.
- Australiaslang[receive] praise, admiration, recognition, credit, etc
Guernsey2
- An island, the second-largest of the Channel Islands.
- The Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British crown dependency on the island of Guernsey.
- A hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada.
plural Guernseys
- A breed of dairy cattle originally bred on Guernsey; any individual of this breed.
1 more example
Different milks have varying amounts of fats, proteins, and lactose, and arguments abound over the relative merits and possible harms of each. For many centuries, milk with a high fat content was considered to be the best, and low-fat or skimmed milk was considered fraudulent—in fact, selling it was often illegal. Cow breeds that produce milk with a high fat content, such as Ayrshires, Jerseys, and Guernseys, have always been valued, especially for cheesemaking.
2018, Mark Kurlansky, “Chapter 1: The First Taste of Sweetness”, in Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas, Bloomsbury, →ISBN - A knitted fisherman’s sweater of a type made on the island.
- A long-sleeved shirt worn by sportsmen, especially in rugby codes (historically).
- AustraliaA team-liveried shirt; a jersey.
- AustraliaSelection or election to a position.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Guernsey · proper noun, noun
From Anglo-Norman, from Old Norse, compound of Grani (“Grani's”) and ey (“island”). Folk etymology points to a dialectal root for green.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic غِيرنْزِيّ
- غِيرنْزِيّisland
Chinese Mandarin 根西島 /根西岛
- 根西島 /根西岛 (Gēnxī-dǎo)island
Czech Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Dutch Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Esperanto Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Estonian Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Finnish Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
French Guernesey
- Guerneseyisland
German Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Greek Γκέρνσεϊ
- Γκέρνσεϊ (Gkérnseï)island
Hebrew גרנסי
- גרנסי (Gernsi)island
Hungarian Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Icelandic Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Indonesian Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Irish geansaí, Geansaí
- geansaíwoollen sweater
- Geansaíisland
Italian Guernsey, isola di Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
- isola di Guernseyisland
Japanese ガーンジー島
- ガーンジー島 (Gānji-shimá)island
Latin Lisia, Lesia
- Lisiaisland
- Lesiaisland
- Sarmiaisland
Māori Kōnuiihi
- Kōnuiihiisland
Norwegian Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Polish Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Portuguese Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Russian Ге́рнси, о́стров Ге́рнси
- Ге́рнси (Gérnsi)island
- о́стров Ге́рнси (óstrov Gérnsi)island
Scottish Gaelic geansaidh, Geàrnsaidh
- geansaidhwoollen sweater
- Geàrnsaidhisland
Slovak Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Spanish Guernesey, isla de Guernesey
- Guerneseyisland
- isla de Guerneseyisland
Swedish Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Ukrainian Ґе́рнсі
- Ґе́рнсі (Gérnsi)island
Welsh Guernsey
- Guernseyisland
Cite this entry
guernsey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guernsey
“guernsey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guernsey. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “guernsey,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/guernsey.
Source: guernsey on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.