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cahoots

Etymology and origin of the English word cahoots

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
French cahute

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kəˈhuːts/; /kəˈhuts/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is an American word of uncertain origin.[2][3] It is perhaps borrowed from French cahute (“cabin, hut”),[4][2][3] but some American sources trace it instead to French cohorte, said to have meant “companions, confederates”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Company, partnership, recorded as cohoot in 1829 in Southern and Western American English.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word is used chiefly in the phrase in cahoots,[2][1] and it has come to suggest collusion, often for a dishonest purpose, rather than a plain partnership.[4][1]

Timeline

  • 1829 – cohoot, a company or partnership (American).[2][3]
  • early 19th century – in cahoots, in collusion.[1]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Secret partnership or questionable collaboration, used in the phrase in cahoots.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Cahoots.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/cahoots. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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