Etymologically
Log in

pub

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 09:58. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

Etymology

It is short for public house (see public).[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

1859, in Hotten's Dictionary of slang.[2][3][5] MWU dates pub, short for public, to 1800.[6]

Semantic evolution

Public house meant any building open to the public (1574), then an inn licensed to sell drink (1658–1660s), and a tavern (1768).[2][3] Public alone, short for public house, is from 1709 and may have been the intermediate form.[3] The verb, to go to pubs, is from 1889.[5] The pub crawl is British slang by 1910,[3] and pub rock, played in small venues, is from 1973 in England.[3] Pub is also short for publication and publish.[5]

Timeline

  • 1574 – public house, a building open to all.[2]
  • 1768 – public house, a tavern.[2][3]
  • 1859 – pub.[2][5]
  • 1910 – pub crawl.[3]
  • 1973 – pub rock.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (chiefly British) A building licensed to sell alcoholic drinks for drinking on the premises, often also serving food; a tavern or bar.

Word family

  • brewpub
  • pub-crawl

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster