Etymologically
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bogus

Etymology and origin of the English word bogus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbəʊ̯ɡəs/ (UK); /ˈboʊ̯ɡəs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

An American English word,[2][3][4] the adjectival use of a slang noun bogus that named a machine for making counterfeit coins (1827) and then counterfeit money itself.[5][3][2][6][7] Its further origin is uncertain:[4] some trace it to tantrabobus, tantrabogus, a Vermont word for any odd-looking object and later the devil,[3][2] others to the source of bogey.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a noun, an apparatus for counterfeit coining (1827).[6][2][3] The adjective “counterfeit, spurious” is dated 1838 by Barnhart, 1839 by the OED and Etymonline, and 1825 by Merriam-Webster.[2][6][3][7]

Semantic evolution

The adjective was first applied to counterfeit coin,[6] then widened to anything fake or sham.[5][7][4] Modern informal uses include “undesirable, harmful” and “incorrect, broken”.[1]

Timeline

  • 1827 – noun, a machine for counterfeiting coin.[6][2]
  • 1838 – adjective, counterfeit.[2]
  • 1839 – adjective, counterfeit, spurious, sham.[6][3]
  • 1842 – noun, counterfeit coin.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Not genuine; counterfeit, fake or sham.
  2. (informal) Based on false information or unjustified assumptions; incorrect or broken.

Word family

  • bogusly
  • bogusness

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Bogus.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bogus. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·