Etymologically
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flip

Etymology and origin of the English word flip

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
c. 1567

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /flɪp/[1]

Etymology

It is probably imitative,[2][3] and is probably a contraction of fillip, also imitative;[4][5][6] Etymonline also suggests a thinned form of flap.[3] It appears earlier as part of “flip-flop” (1529).[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To toss or flick with the thumb: about 1567 in MWU, 1594, in Lyly's plays, in Barnhart, the 1590s in Etymonline.[2][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The noun, a quick blow or flick, is from 1692.[6][7] A somersault is probably short for flip-flap (1670s), a move in dancing.[3] A short flight in an aircraft is from 1914.[7] To toss a coin to decide something is by 1879.[3] To get excited or go wild is American, from 1950, with flip one's lid from 1949.[6][3] The adjective, glib, flippant, is mid-19th-century, originally dialect and American.[5]

Timeline

  • 1529 – flip-flop.[6]
  • c. 1567 – to flick.[2]
  • 1692 – a flick.[6][7]
  • 1879 – to flip a coin.[3]
  • 1914 – a short flight.[7]
  • 1950 – to get excited.[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To toss with a quick movement, especially so that it turns over: flip a coin.
  2. To turn over quickly.
  3. To turn the pages of something quickly.
  4. (informal) To lose one's self-control; to go crazy.
  5. To strike lightly.

Noun

  1. A quick toss or flick.
  2. A somersault.

Adjective

  1. (informal) Glib; flippant.

Word family

  • flippy
  • flip-top
  • flip-up
  • backflip
  • flipper
  • flip chart
  • flip side
  • flip off
  • flipping
  • fillip
  • flap
  • flippant
  • flip-flop
  • flick

Usage notes

A separate flip, a hot drink of beer and spirits sweetened and heated with an iron, is from 1695, perhaps from the verb as whipped up into froth.[6][4][7]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Flip.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/flip. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·