Etymologically
Log in

smiley

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the English word smiley

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1848 J. R. Lowell, Biglow Papers
Ultimate origins
Middle Low German *smilenEnglish -y
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English smile
English smiley

Pronunciation

Etymology

The adjective is formed from English smile + -y.[2][3][4][5] The noun, from 1987, is a conversion of the adjective after smiley face, of which it is a shortening.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Inclined to smile, readily smiling: 1848, in J. R. Lowell's Biglow Papers, also spelled smily.[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that the older smileful (about 1600) was already marked rare in the Century Dictionary.[3] From 1970 the adjective also meant simply smiling or cheerful, and since 1974 causing a smile.[2] Smiley face is recorded from 1981, and as an icon on computers from 1987;[3] that year smiley itself began to be used for the typed symbol made of characters such as :-) in e-mail and online messages, and since 1989 for the round yellow cartoon of a smiling face.[2][4][5] In South African slang a smiley is a sheep's or goat's head cleaned and grilled or stewed, after its grinning look, recorded from 1990,[6] and an American student slang use of 1989 is a man whose trousers show a strip of flesh at the top.[6]

Timeline

  • 1848 – inclined to smile.[2][3][4]
  • 1970 – smiling, cheerful.[2]
  • 1974 – causing a smile.[2]
  • 1987 – noun, a typed symbol representing a smiling face.[2][4]
  • 1989 – noun, the yellow cartoon smiling face.[2]
  • 1990 – in South Africa, a cooked sheep's or goat's head.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Smiling often; cheerful: a smiley shop assistant.[7][4][2]
  2. Showing or causing a smile: a smiley sticker.[7][2]

Noun

  1. An emoticon or small image of a face, especially a smiling one, used in electronic messages.[4][7][2]
  2. A simple drawing of a smiling face, usually black on a round yellow background.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Smiley.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/smiley. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·