Etymologically
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smoothie

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈsmuːði/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English smooth + -ie,[2][3][4][5] first as American college slang.[2] The drink was named for its smooth consistency.[6] It is also spelled smoothy.[7][3][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

A suave, self-assured person, especially in the company of the opposite sex: Etymonline dates it to 1928 as American college slang.[2] The OED's first record is from the Princeton Alumni Weekly of 24 May 1929,[5] and Green's Dictionary of Slang quotes a 1929 Philadelphia Inquirer article explaining the smoothie as a college man.[8] Dictionary.com dates the word to 1920–25.[4]

Semantic evolution

The first smoothies were people, usually men, who were suave or stylish; the word often carried an unfavourable sense of a slick but shallow or insincere person.[5][8][3] From 1959 it was occasionally used as an adjective, meaning smooth in manner.[5] As the name of a drink it is found by 1957, for a sweet punch,[2] and the OED's first record is a Washington Post review of 1977 describing a yogurt and fruit drink called a smoothie.[5][6] The Oxford Dictionary of New Words describes it as a variation on the milkshake, best known in the United States, Australia and New Zealand,[6] and the OED labels it chiefly American and Australian.[5] From about 1980 it was promoted as a health drink made from fruit and vegetables,[2] and in New York in 1987 bars serving only soft drinks called their non-alcoholic cocktails smoothies.[6] Green's Dictionary of Slang also records it as Black American slang for a clothes iron, from 2000.[8]

Timeline

  • 1929 – a suave or smooth-mannered person, usually a man.[5][8] Etymonline dates it to 1928.[2]
  • 1957 – a sweet punch drink.[2]
  • 1959 – adjective, smooth in manner.[5]
  • 1977 – a thick drink of fruit puréed with milk, yogurt or ice cream.[5][6]
  • c. 1980 – promoted as a health drink of fruit and vegetables.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A thick, smooth drink of fresh fruit, or sometimes vegetables, puréed with milk, yogurt or ice cream: She makes a banana smoothie every morning.[7][5][6]
  2. (informal, often derogatory) A suave or slick person, especially a man who is smooth in speech, dress or manner.[7][5][8]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Knowles, Elizabeth; Elliott, Julia, eds. (1997), The Oxford Dictionary of New Words, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b c d e f Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com