filly
UK[ˈfɪli]US[ˈfɪli]
n
a young female horse, especially one less than four years old.
Etymology
the word 'filly' entered english in the late 14th century, derived from the old norse 'fylja', meaning a young female horse or foal. this term is related to the old english 'fola', meaning 'foal', both tracing back to the proto-germanic 'fulô'. the semantic narrowing from the general 'young horse' (foal) to specifically a 'young female horse' occurred within english, creating a precise term for equine gender and age classification. its journey reflects the scandinavian linguistic influence on middle english and the specialization of vocabulary for animal husbandry.
Analysis
this is a simplex word. it is a loanword from old norse, entering middle english as 'fylja'. its functional role is as a single lexical unit.
Examples
the farmer decided to keep the lively filly to add to his breeding stock.
the chestnut filly won her first race by a significant margin.
we watched the mare and her playful filly grazing in the pasture.