Etymologically
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loophole

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 02:56. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈluːphəʊl/ (UK); /ˈluphoʊl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is from English loop + hole,[2][3][4] with Middle English loupe “a narrow opening in a wall”,[4][2] perhaps from a continental Germanic source such as Middle Dutch lūpen “to watch, peer”.[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small opening for ventilation (1464, as lopehole).[4] Etymonline dates the word to the mid-15th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

A loupe was a slit in a wall that protected archers while they shot, or let in light and air.[2] Loophole was used in the same way, for an opening to look or shoot through (1591).[4][5] The figurative sense, “an outlet or means of escape”, dates from 1663–64,[4][2] and today usually means an ambiguity or omission in a law or contract that allows it to be evaded.[6][5][3][1]

Timeline

  • 1386 – loupe, an opening in a wall.[4]
  • 1464 – lopehole, an opening for ventilation.[4]
  • 1591 – an opening to look or shoot through.[4][5]
  • 1663–64 – an outlet, a means of escape.[4][2]
  • 1664 – verb, to make loopholes in.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A means of evading a rule, especially an ambiguity or omission in a law or contract.
  2. A small opening or slit in a wall, especially one through which weapons may be fired or light and air admitted.

Verb

  1. To make loopholes in a wall or building.
  • hole

References

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