A willow
"The angler spotted a sally resting on the mossy bank near the stream."
A sortie of troops from a besieged place against an enemy.
A member of the Salvation Army.
A kind of stonefly.
In plain English: A sally is an attempt to do something difficult, often made with little chance of success.
"The brave knight made a quick sally from his castle to attack the enemy gate."
Usage: In everyday usage, "sally" as a noun refers to a brief sudden attack or burst of energy by someone trapped in a defended position. This military term is rarely used outside of historical contexts or specific idioms like "a sally of wit."
To make a sudden attack (e.g. on an enemy from a defended position).
"The garrison sallyed forth to surprise the invading forces before dawn."
In plain English: To sally means to rush out quickly, often from behind protection.
"The rescue team sally forth from the burning building to find survivors."
A diminutive of the female given name Sarah, also used as a formal given name.
"Her grandmother named her Sally in honor of her great-aunt Sarah."
The word sally comes from the Old English words salig or sealh, which meant "willow." It entered modern usage through Middle English as a direct descendant of these earlier terms for the tree.