Etymologically
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anorak

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:50. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈænəɹæk/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Greenlandic annoraaq,[2][3][4][5] reaching English partly through Danish.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The weatherproof hooded jacket of skin or cloth worn by the Inuit of Greenland (1924; 1922 in Merriam-Webster).[6][5][3]

Semantic evolution

The name passed in the 1930s to Western jackets made in imitation of the Inuit garment.[5][6] In British slang, by the early 1980s, anorak meant a boring or socially awkward person with an obsessive interest in a narrow subject, from the idea that such people typically wear one.[5][6][1]

Timeline

  • 1924 – the Inuit hooded jacket.[6][5]
  • 1930s – Western jackets of this kind.[5]
  • 1983–84 – slang, a socially inept enthusiast.[5][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A hooded, weatherproof jacket, often pulled on over the head; a parka.
  2. (British slang) A dull person with an obsessive interest in a niche subject.
  • parka

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press