dirty

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈdɜː.ti/, US /ˈdɝː.t̬i/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from dirt and the suffix -y,^[2][3][4] a metathesis of Middle English dritty “feculent, muddy” (late 14th century).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or imparting filth: the early 15th century in Etymonline,^[2] the 14th century in Merriam-Webster.^[3] Soiled with dirt, unclean: the 15th century in the OED,^[5] late Middle English in SOED.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Characterized by dirt, unclean, is from the 16th century.^[2] Morally unclean or smutty is from the 1590s,^[2] and the verb, to make dirty, from 1591.^[5][3][2] A dirty trick is from the 1670s,^[2] dull or muddy colours from the 1690s,^[2] and dirty work in the figurative sense from 1764.^[2] Dirty joke is by 1856,^[2] dirty linen, private secrets, from the 1860s,^[2] and dirty look by 1923.^[2] The dirty end of the stick is from 1924.^[5] Not streamlined, of an aircraft, is by 1925,^[2][5] dirty old man from 1932,^[2] and of a nuclear weapon with much radioactive fallout by 1956.^[2][5]

Timeline

• early 15th century – filthy.^[2]
• 1590s – smutty.^[2]
• 1591 – verb.^[5][3]
• 1670s – dirty trick.^[2]
• 1764 – dirty work.^[2]
• 1856 – dirty joke.^[2]
• 1923 – dirty look.^[2]
• 1956 – of a nuclear weapon.^[2][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Soiled with dirt; unclean.
2. Causing dirt or pollution: a dirty job.
3. Obscene or indecent: a dirty joke.
4. Unfair, dishonest or corrupt: dirty tricks.
5. Unpleasant or hostile: a dirty look.
6. Of a colour, dull or muddy.
7. Of a nuclear weapon, producing much radioactive fallout.

Verb

1. To make or become dirty; to soil.
2. To stain or tarnish with dishonour.

Word family

• dirtily
• dirtiness
• quick-and-dirty
• dirty war
• dirty bomb
• dirty laundry
• dirty linen
• dirty old man

Related words

• dirt

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ 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