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Terry, William Harold Known as "Bill." 1898-1989.
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American baseball player. During his career with the New York Giants (1923-1936), he batted .310 or better in 11 seasons, batting .401 in 1930.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Terry, Dame Ellen Alice or Alicia 1847-1928.
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British actress. The preeminent English-speaking actress of her day, she was known for her Shakespearean roles and her correspondence with George Bernard Shaw.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Ter·ry (tĕrē), Clark Known as “Mumbles.” 1920-2015.
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American jazz trumpeter and vocalist who was noted for his muted trumpet style and his mumbled scat singing.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
ter·ry (tĕrē)
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n. pl. ter·ries
1. One of the uncut loops that form the pile of a fabric.
2. A pile fabric, usually woven of cotton, with uncut loops on one or both sides, used for bath towels and robes. Also called terry cloth.

[Origin unknown.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.