English Reference

Word

harley

Phoneticsharley

/ˈhɑɹɫi/

Definitions

01a motorcycle

B1

n. a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, known for being large, loud, and made in America.

n. a metonym for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, typically referring to the brand's heavy-weight cruiser models.

“He spent all weekend cleaning the chrome on his new Harley.”

“The silence of the rural valley was suddenly shattered by the distinctive, rhythmic thrum of a Harley accelerating up the steep incline.”

Informal · American English

02a name

B2

n. a name for a person, used for both men and women.

n. a unisex given name or surname of Old English origin, originally meaning 'hare meadow'.

“Harley is starting her first day of university tomorrow morning.”

“The professor noted that Harley had submitted the most comprehensive analysis of the historical data in the entire cohort.”

Etymology

From Old English hær (“rock”) or hara (“hare”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Equivalent to hare + -ley (“lea”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference