Etymologically
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everybody

Etymology and origin of the English word everybody

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1530
Ultimate origin
English (every,body)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈev.riˌbɒd.i/, US /ˈev.riˌbɑː.di/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from every and body in its old sense “person”.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Every person, every individual of a group: the late 14th century in Etymonline,[2] the 15th century in Merriam-Webster,[3] and about 1530 in the OED.[4]

Semantic evolution

It keeps an obsolete sense of body, “person”.[2] Everybody else, “every other person”, is recorded with it in the OED.[4]

Timeline

  • late 14th century – every person.[2]
  • c. 1530 – first OED example.[4]

Modern meaning

Pronoun

  1. Every person; everyone.

Usage notes

Everybody and everyone are used in the same way.[5][6]

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Everybody.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/everybody. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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