Pollyanna

See also: pollyanna

English

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˌpɒliˈænə/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ænə

Etymology 1

Polly +‎ Anna

Alternative forms

Proper noun

Pollyanna

  1. A female given name from Hebrew derived from Polly and Anna; rare in the real world.
    • 2014, Dot and the Waves, page 10‎:
      Pollyanna Pocket was small, with long floppy ears and a tail that coiled upwards in a little ringlet. She was a bouncy, happy young dog, who frolicked all day

Etymology 2

From the name of the protagonist in the 1913 novel Pollyanna, by Eleanor Porter.

Alternative forms

Noun

Pollyanna (plural Pollyannas)

  1. One who is persistently cheerful and optimistic, even when given cause not to be so.
    You call her an optimist, but I call her an obnoxious Pollyanna.
    • 1930, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin (lyrics and music), “But Not for Me”, performed by Ginger Rogers:
      I never wanna hear / From any cheerful Pollyannas / Who tell you Fate supplies a mate / It's all bananas
    • 2017 November 12, Miranda Sawyer, “Björk: ‘People miss the jokes. A lot of it is me taking the piss out of myself’”, in The Guardian‎:
      ‘Next time we’re going to have fun, OK?’ I wanted this album to go towards the light. You indulge in the grief to a certain point, but then you have to be a little bit Pollyanna.”
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

Pollyanna (plural Pollyannas)

  1. (colloquial, Mid-Atlantic US, Southeastern Pennsylvania) A secret Santa gift exchange.

Further reading
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