roly-poly

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹəʊlɪˈpəʊli/
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• General-American: /ˈɹoʊliˈpoʊli/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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The noun is apparently derived from roll (“to turn over and over”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’), reduplicated with a change of the initial consonant. Compare rolly (“having the ability to roll, rolling”, adjective), which is attested since the 19th century. Noun sense 1.7 (“mischievous or worthless person”) is possibly influenced by poll (“head; (archaic) scalp; (by extension) person”). The adjective and adverb are attested later than the noun, and so are probably derived from it.

86 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: kierivä ja heiluva — moving with a rolling and swaying motion
• Serbo-Croatian: kotrljajući — moving with a rolling and swaying motion
• Finnish: kierien — by rolling
• Serbo-Croatian: kotrljajući — by rolling
• Carpathian Rusyn: ва́нька-ста́нька (vánʹka-stánʹka) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Catalan: saltamartí — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Catalan: tossut — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Chinese Cantonese: 不倒翁 (bat1 dou2 jung1) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Chinese Mandarin: 不倒翁 (bùdǎowēng) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Czech: panáček vstaváček — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Czech: vaňka vstaňka — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Czech: vstaváček — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Danish: tumling — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Dutch: duikelaar — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Esperanto: obstina Joĉjo — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Esperanto: staremulo — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Finnish: keikkunukke — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• French: culbuto — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• French: poussah — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• French: poussa — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• French: ramponeau — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• French: ramponneau — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• German: Stehaufmanderl — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• German: Stehaufmännchen — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Hebrew: נַחוּם תָּקוּם (naḥūm tå̄qūm) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Hungarian: keljfeljancsi — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Italian: misirizzi — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Japanese: 起き上がり小法師 — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Korean: 오뚝이 (ottugi) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Polish: wańka-wstańka — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Portuguese: joão-bobo — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Portuguese: sempre em pé — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Portuguese: joão-teimoso — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Romanian: hopa-mitică — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Russian: неваля́шка (nevaljáška) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Russian: ва́нька-вста́нька (vánʹka-vstánʹka) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: dominguillo — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: mono porfiado — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: muñeco porfiado — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: porfiado — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: siempretieso — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: tentempié — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Spanish: tentetieso — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Swedish: vippdocka — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Thai: ตุ๊กตาล้มลุก (dtúk-dtaa lóm lúk) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Turkish: hacı yatmaz — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: іванець-киванець (ivanecʹ-kyvanecʹ) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: іван-побиван (ivan-pobyvan) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: іва́н-покива́н (iván-pokyván) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: нелягайка (neljahajka) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: неваляшка (nevaljaška) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: невгамовка (nevhamovka) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Ukrainian: покиванка (pokyvanka) — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Vietnamese: lật đật — toy that rights itself when pushed over
• Bulgarian: шишко (šiško) — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Finnish: pullukka — short, plump person (especially a child)
• German: Pummelchen — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Macedonian: ши́шко (šíško) — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Māori: pukunati — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Polish: pulpet — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Russian: пуза́н (puzán) — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: pwt — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: pwtyn — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: stwcen — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: stwcyn — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: tordyn — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: torpwth — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: trwlen — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Welsh: trwlyn — short, plump person (especially a child)
• Finnish: kierähdys — sideways roll
• Māori: takaporepore — sideways roll
• Finnish: kääritty hillotäytteinen ihrasta tehty kohokas — baked or steamed pudding made from suet pastry which is spread with fruit or jam (or occasionally other fillings) and then rolled up
• Welsh: roli-poli — baked or steamed pudding made from suet pastry which is spread with fruit or jam (or occasionally other fillings) and then rolled up
• Chinese Mandarin: 球鼠婦 /球鼠妇 (qiúshǔfù) — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Dutch: oprolpissebed — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Finnish: pallosiira — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Polish: kulanka — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Portuguese: tatuzinho — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Russian: мокри́ца (mokríca) — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Serbo-Croatian: mokrica — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Serbo-Croatian: babura — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Serbo-Croatian: buba loptica — small terrestrial invertebrate which tends to roll into a ball when disturbed
• Finnish: kierimispeli — activity or game involving rolling
• Finnish: kierimisleikki — activity or game involving rolling
• Finnish: kierimisleikki — game involving people (usually children) rolling down a slope
• Finnish: palloleikki — game in which balls are bowled into holes or thrown into hats placed on the ground