English word origin

Etymology of BVDs

From the initials of an early manufacturer: Bradley, Voorhees & Day (founded 1876).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

Underpants; usually, men's underpants.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From the initials of an early manufacturer: Bradley, Voorhees & Day (founded 1876).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Bradley",
      "Bradley"
    ],
    [
      "Voorhees",
      "Voorhees"
    ],
    [
      "Day",
      "Day"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "word": "bividí",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Underpants; usually, men's underpants."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "initialism",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "recordId": "9f6a2cb66b40b0b8dec24838bdaf9065ae91211f7ab64f782ac6e9c1b5656925",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3733b73f14a81ad9e3a0124d4b264bb9c067d2c8dd49b587f531dc6e37e8180c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1174221
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for BVDs →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-QlZEcw