gimlet

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɡɪm.lət/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English,^[2][3] from Anglo-Norman guimbelet,^{[2][4][5][3][6]} perhaps from Middle Dutch wimmelkijn, a diminutive of wimmel “auger, drill”.^[2][4][5][3] It is related to wimble.^[5][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A ship carpenter's boring tool (1350, as gymbelette).^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

The adjective sense, “piercing”, as in gimlet eye, dates from 1752.^[3] The cocktail of gin or vodka and lime juice was named by 1927,^[5][7][3] apparently first by sailors,^[5] presumably from its penetrating effect, as a gimlet was used to tap casks.^[5]

Timeline

• 1350 – a boring tool.^[4][5]
• 1752 – adjective, piercing.^[3]
• 1840 – verb, to pierce as with a gimlet.^[7][3]
• 1927–28 – a cocktail.^[5][7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small hand tool with a screw point and a cross handle, for boring holes.
2. A cocktail of gin or vodka with sweetened lime juice.

Verb

1. To pierce with or as if with a gimlet.

Adjective

1. Sharp and penetrating, as a gaze.

Word family

• gimlet-eyed

Related words

• wimble
• auger

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press