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thingamajig

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Etymology and origin of the English word thingamajig

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1824 the Casket More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Old English þing
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English jig
English thingamajig
From the same root
English jigsaw ← jig

Pronunciation

  • /ˈθɪŋəməˌd͡ʒɪɡ/[1]

Etymology

The American Heritage Dictionary takes it as formed from English thingum + jig, thingum being an obsolete extension of thing.[2] The OED calls it apparently an extended form of thing, thingum or thingummy, and compares the endings of jigamaree, jiggumbob and perhaps jig in the sense "trick";[3] Etymonline calls it an arbitrary extension of thing.[4] Dictionary.com sees the same pattern of syllables as in gobbledygook and rigmarole.[5] Merriam-Webster derives it irregularly from thingum.[6] The OED notes that such meaningless middle syllables occur in other vague words, such as whatchamacallit.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Something whose name the speaker cannot recall or does not want to give: 1824, in the Casket,[3][4] 1828 in Merriam-Webster.[6][7] Dictionary.com dates it to 1870–75.[5]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that thing itself has stood in for an unknown or forgotten word since the 12th century, and lists a whole family of such words: kickumbob (1620s), thingum-thangum (1670s), thingum (1680s), thingumbob (1751), thingummy (1796) and jigamaree (1824).[4] The OED dates thingum to 1652 and thingummy to 1737.[3] Green's Dictionary of Slang records many spellings, such as thingumajig, thingamyjig and thingemygig, and uses for a nameless person as well as an object.[8]

Timeline

  • 1824 – a thing whose name one does not know or remember.[3][4]
  • 1842 – the spelling thingemygig.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Something whose name one has forgotten, does not know or does not want to say; a gadget: Pass me that thingamajig for opening tins.[9][6][3]
  2. (informal) A person whose name one cannot remember.[8][3]
  • thing
  • thingamabob
  • thingummy
  • whatchamacallit

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Thingamajig.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/thingamajig. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·