Etymologically
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hoodwink

Etymology and origin of the English word hoodwink

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhʊdwɪŋk/ (UK); /ˈhʊdˌwɪŋk/ (US)[1]

Etymology

A compound of hood and wink.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant to blindfold, covering the eyes with a hood or other covering.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Around 1600 it took on the figurative sense of blinding someone’s mind, preventing them from seeing the truth, hence deceiving.[2][5] The literal “blindfold” is now archaic.[4]

Timeline

  • 1560s – to blindfold;[2] Merriam-Webster and the OED date it 1562.[3][5]
  • 1573–80 – noun, the game of blind man’s buff (obsolete).[5]
  • c. 1600 – to deceive;[2] the OED’s first quotation for this is 1610.[5]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To deceive or trick.
  2. (archaic) To blindfold.
  3. (obsolete) To hide or conceal.

Word family

  • hoodwinker
  • hoodwinkable

Related words

  • hoodman-blind

References

  1. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. [1] [2] 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] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“hoodwink.” Etymologically, 6 October 2026, https://etymologically.com/en/hoodwink. Accessed 6 October 2026.

Last edited on .