Etymologically
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stampede

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /stæmˈpiːd/ (UK); /stæmˈpid/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Spanish estampida (“uproar, crash”), used in Mexican Spanish of a rush of animals,[2][3][4][5][6] from estampar “to stamp, press”,[3][4][5][6] which the AHD and Etymonline trace through Provençal,[2][4] of Germanic origin.[2][3][4][5] It is related to stamp.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sudden rush and flight of a herd of panic-stricken cattle on the Western prairies (1826 in the OED, 1828 in the AHD and Merriam-Webster).[7][2][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Early forms included stampado (1826), stampiado (1828) and stampedo.[3][4] The verb, of a herd to take flight in panic, is recorded from 1823,[7][3][4] and the transitive sense of putting animals to flight from 1838–48.[4][5][7] By 1836 the noun was used in American politics for a sudden rush of people,[4] and the AHD notes an 1851 use for a rush of gold miners.[2] In western Canada and the US it also names a festival combining a rodeo with other events, such as the Calgary Stampede (1912).[7][5][6]

Timeline

  • 1823 – verb, to flee in panic.[7][3][4]
  • 1826 – a panic flight of cattle.[7][3]
  • 1836 – a sudden rush of people, in politics.[4]
  • 1838 – verb, to put to flight.[4][5]
  • 1912 – a rodeo festival.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A sudden, frenzied rush of frightened animals, such as cattle or horses.
  2. A sudden headlong rush or flight of a crowd of people.
  3. A mass impulsive action.
  4. (Western US and Canada) A festival combining a rodeo with contests and exhibitions.

Verb

  1. To flee in a headlong rush.
  2. To cause animals or people to flee or act on mass impulse.

Word family

  • stampeder
  • stamp
  • stomp

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press