gremlin English · revision 2195

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡɹɛmlɪn/ ''(UK)''; /ˈɡɹɛmlən/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ Of unknown or uncertain origin.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) It was probably formed on the analogy of ''goblin''.^(Etymonline)^(RHWU)^(AHD) Other suggestions are Irish ''gruaimín'' “bad-tempered little fellow”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) or a dialect survival of Old English ''gremman'' “to anger, vex” with the ending of ''goblin''.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In its earliest attested use, a Royal Air Force term for a low-ranking officer or enlisted man given the most onerous duties (1920s).^(AHD)^(RHWU) The OED, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1941;^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate) oral use is said to go back to 1923.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In RAF slang of the Second World War a gremlin was a mischievous sprite blamed for mishaps to aircraft,^(OED 1989)^(RHWU)^(Etymonline) and Americans had picked up the word by 1942.^(Etymonline) Later it became an embodiment of mischance in any activity.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) From 1961 surfers used it for a young surfer or a troublemaker on the beach.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1923 – said to be used orally in RAF slang.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1920s – an RAF term for a low-ranking airman given onerous duties.^(AHD)^(RHWU)

+ * 1941 – a mischievous sprite blamed for aircraft mishaps.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1961 – ''(surfing)'' a young surfer; a beach troublemaker.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An imaginary gnomelike creature blamed for mechanical failures, especially in aircraft.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Any mysterious cause of trouble or malfunction.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A maker of mischief.^(AHD)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(surfing slang)'' A young or inexperienced surfer.^(OED 1989)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gremmie]]

+ * [[gremmy]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[goblin]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}