Etymologically
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gimmick

Etymology and origin of the English word gimmick

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡɪm.ɪk/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

Of unknown origin.[2][3][4] It is an Americanism,[5][6] perhaps an alteration of gimcrack,[5][6] or an anagram of magic.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A gadget or device, especially one for performing a trick or deception.[5][7] Etymonline's earliest example, from 1910, uses it of a fitting on a hotel radiator.[6]

Semantic evolution

The word was used for a hidden mechanism that dishonestly controls gambling apparatus or works a conjuring trick,[7][2][3] and from the 1940s for a tricky or clever idea,[5] now especially a ploy to attract attention or business.[3][4][1]

Timeline

  • 1910 – a gadget.[6]
  • 1922 – the first date in Merriam-Webster.[3]
  • 1926 – a device for a trick or deception.[5][7]
  • 1940s – a tricky or clever idea.[5]
  • 1952 – verb, to provide with a gimmick;[7] gimmickry.[5]
  • 1957 – gimmicky.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A trick or device meant to attract attention, publicity or business.
  2. A hidden device used to cheat at gambling or to work a magic trick.
  3. A novel gadget.
  4. A concealed feature or catch.
  5. A small object whose name does not readily come to mind.

Verb

  1. To add gimmicks to, often with up.
  2. To alter or rig by means of a gimmick.

Word family

  • gimmicky
  • gimmicker
  • gimmickry

Related words

  • gimcrack

References

  1. [1] [2] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. [1] [2] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. [1] [2] [3] [4] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. [1] [2] [3] [4] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Gimmick.” Etymologically, 7 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gimmick. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .