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tousle

Etymology and origin of the English word tousle

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtaʊ.zəl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English touselen, a frequentative of -tousen “to pull about roughly”,[2][3][4][5] as in totousen.[3][4] It is related to East Frisian tūsen and German zausen “to tug, dishevel”,[3][4] and perhaps to tease.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To pull about roughly; to handle rudely (before 1440).[6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that it was used especially of boys plaguing or romping with girls.[4] The noun meant a struggle or tussle in Scots (1788)[6][3][5] and a tousled mass of hair from 1880.[6][3]

Timeline

  • about 1300 – -tousen, to handle roughly.[3]
  • before 1440 – to pull about, dishevel.[6][3][4]
  • 1788 – noun, a tussle, in Scots.[6][3][5]
  • 1880 – noun, a tousled mass of hair.[6][3]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To make untidy; to dishevel or rumple, especially hair.
  2. To handle roughly.

Noun

  1. A tousled mass, as of hair.

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that /ˈtaʊ.zəl/ is the standard pronunciation, with /ˈtaʊ.səl/ a secondary variant.[1]

References

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

“Tousle.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tousle. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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