gizmo English · revision 1978

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡɪzmoʊ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is unknown.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) It is probably an arbitrary formation,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) made the same way as [[gadget]], [[dingus]] and [[thingumbob]], words for things whose names are unknown or forgotten.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A gadget or thing one cannot put a name to, in Marine and Navy slang (1942 in Etymonline; 1943 in Barnhart, Merriam-Webster and the OED, as ''gismo'').^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word spread from American military slang in the Second World War^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995) and kept its meaning of a gadget or device, especially one whose name is unknown.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary) Both ''gizmo'' and ''gismo'' are used.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1942 – Marine and Navy slang for an unnamed thing.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1943 – first quotations (''gismo'').^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A gadget or device, especially one whose name is unknown or forgotten.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[gadget]]

+ * [[gimmick]]

+ * [[thingamajig]]

+ * [[dingus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}