fillip.
The action of holding the tip of a finger against the thumb and then releasing it with a snap; a flick.
Meaning & usage
The action of holding the tip of a finger against the thumb and then releasing it with a snap; a flick.
A sharp strike or tap made using this action, or (by extension) by other means.
Something unimportant, a trifle; also, the brief time it takes to flick one's finger (see noun sense 1); a jiffy.
Something that excites or stimulates.
This measure gave a fillip to the housing market.
The athlete’s victory provided a much-needed fillip for national pride.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English filippen, philippe (“to flick or snap a finger from against the thumb”); further origin uncertain, but probably imitative. See flip. It is not clear whether the verb is derived from the noun, or vice versa.
To strike, project, or propel with a fillip (that is, a finger released quickly after being pressed against the thumb); to flick.
To project quickly; to snap.
To strike or tap smartly.
To drive as if by a fillip (noun sense 1); to excite, stimulate, whet.
The spicy aroma filliped my appetite.
To make a fillip (noun sense 1) (with the fingers).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English filippen, philippe (“to flick or snap a finger from against the thumb”); further origin uncertain, but probably imitative. See flip. It is not clear whether the verb is derived from the noun, or vice versa.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.