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dickhead

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Etymology and origin of the English word dickhead

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1960 a letter by S. Martinelli
Ultimate origins
English dickProto-Germanic *haubud
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English dick
English dickhead

Pronunciation

  • /ˈdɪkˌ(h)ɛd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English dick + head,[2][3][4][5][6] with dick in its slang sense "penis",[3][4][6] recorded from about 1890.[2][3] Green's Dictionary of Slang treats the second part as the suffix -head.[7] The OED notes that the resemblance to German Dickkopf (“stubborn person, literally thick head”) is probably coincidental.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A stupid, annoying or objectionable person: 1960, in a letter by S. Martinelli.[2] Merriam-Webster and Dalzell date it to 1964, Etymonline to 1969, and the first quotation in Green's Dictionary of Slang is from 1967.[4][8][3][7]

Semantic evolution

The word began in American slang,[8][7] and by the 1970s and 1980s it was common in Australian, British and Irish slang too.[7][8] In 1969 it was also used literally, for the glans of the penis.[2] The adjective dickheaded, stupid, is recorded from 1992.[7]

Timeline

  • 1960 – a stupid, annoying or objectionable person.[2]
  • 1969 – the glans of the penis.[2]
  • 1992 – dickheaded, stupid.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (slang) A stupid, contemptible or obnoxious person, especially a man.[4][2][7][8]
  2. (slang) The glans of the penis.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  8. ^ a b c d Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge
Cite this entry

“Dickhead.” Etymologically, 1 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/dickhead. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·