Definition of: dolly

(dol′ē) noun plural ·lies
1. A doll: child's word.
2. Mining A contrivance for stirring ore while it is being washed.
3. Austral. A rude ore–crushing device.
4. Mech. A block or other extension placed on a pile to lengthen it while being driven.
5. A tool for holding one end of a rivet while a head is formed at the other.
6. A small narrow–gage locomotive for use in switching.
7. A light hand truck, with wheels or rollers, used for moving heavy loads, as books, boxes, lumber, etc.
8. Brit. Dial. A wooden instrument for beating or stirring clothes while washing.
9. A low, wheeled platform on which a motion–picture or television camera is set.
—v.t. ·lied, ·ly·ing
1. To crush or concentrate (ore) with a dolly.
2. Brit. Dial. To stir or wash (clothes) with a dolly.
—v.i.
3. To move a television or motion–picture camera toward a scene or subject: with in. [from Dolly, a nickname for Dorothy]