Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of English regional (East London) †wolly olive (although this is first attested later: 1909 or earlier), itself an alteration of olive n.¹

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps (i) < Wally, pet form of the male forename Walter (compare Charlie n. 6), or perhaps (ii) a specific use of wally n.² (for a possible similar semantic development compare French cornichon (slang) foolish person (1808), specific use of cornichon small horn (16th cent. in Middle French), kind of small cucumber, gherkin (17th cent.)).The earlier Scots wallydraigle n. is also sometimes compared, but the first element of this is pronounced differently and the word is already rare by the early 20th cent.

Etymology: Apparently < wale n.² + -y suffix¹, with divergent development of the stem vowel.

Etymology: Originally (in Older Scots) a variant of wawy adj. showing a reverse spelling reflecting earlier vocalization of l (compare wall n.²). In later use showing a spelling pronunciation (with /l/), perhaps further influenced by association with wally adj.¹ or waly int.