hilary

IPA/hˈɪləɹi/
KK[hˈɪlɚi]IPA/hˈɪləriː/

hilary — noun

1. a personal name that can be given to a boy or a girl

1.noun
Definition

a personal name that can be given to a boy or a girl

Example

Bao met a girl named Hilary at the summer camp last week.

used as a given name with a named referent

Hilary won first place in the school science fair with a clever project.

Grammar Patterns

used as a first name

Usage Note

Hilary can refer to a person of any gender. In modern usage it is more common for women, but historically it was a male name — for example, Saint Hilary, a 4th-century bishop.

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Hilary comes from the Latin name Hilarius, which is built on hilaris meaning 'cheerful' or 'joyful'. It was originally a male name, carried by several early Christian saints, including Saint Hilary of Poitiers in the 4th century. Over time it became common for both men and women in English-speaking countries, though the spelling Hillary (with two L's) is now far more frequent for girls.