Etymologically
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gizmo

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 00:56. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡɪzmoʊ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.[2][3][4] It is probably an arbitrary formation,[5][3] made the same way as gadget, dingus and thingumbob, words for things whose names are unknown or forgotten.[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A gadget or thing one cannot put a name to, in Marine and Navy slang (1942 in Etymonline; 1943 in Barnhart, Merriam-Webster and the OED, as gismo).[3][5][4][6]

Semantic evolution

The word spread from American military slang in the Second World War[3][5] and kept its meaning of a gadget or device, especially one whose name is unknown.[2][4][1] Both gizmo and gismo are used.[4][7][1]

Timeline

  • 1942 – Marine and Navy slang for an unnamed thing.[3]
  • 1943 – first quotations (gismo).[6][5][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A gadget or device, especially one whose name is unknown or forgotten.

References

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