dinghy English · revision 2259

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈdɪŋ.(ɡ)i/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|hi|डिंगी|tr=ḍiṅgī|t=small boat]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) a diminutive of ''ḍeṅgā'' “boat”;^(AHD)^(RHWU) Merriam-Webster and Random House also give Bengali ''ḍiṅgi''.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) Barnhart and Etymonline suggest that it may come from Sanskrit ''droṇa'' “wooden trough”, related to ''dru'' “wood, tree”.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) The ''-h-'' in the spelling shows that the ''g'' is hard.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Originally a native rowing boat used on Indian rivers (1794).^(OED 1989) Barnhart, Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1810, Random House to 1785–95.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the Indian boat the word was extended to small extra boats carried by warships and merchant ships, and to the tender of a yacht.^(OED 1989) By 1818 it meant a small pleasure rowing boat, especially a light skiff on the Thames,^(OED 1989) and from 1939 an inflatable rubber boat carried on an aircraft.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1794 – a native rowing boat on Indian rivers.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1818 – a small pleasure rowing boat.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1878 – ''dinghy-man''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1939 – an inflatable rubber boat.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A small open boat carried on or towed behind a larger boat as a tender or lifeboat.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A small rowing boat or sailing boat.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An inflatable rubber life raft.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Any of various rowing or sailing boats used along the coasts of India.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tree]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}