English word origin

Etymology of Sony

A combination of Latin sonus (“sound”) and sonny (“boy”, diminutive).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

name

An international electronics and media company based in Tokyo, Japan.

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

A combination of Latin sonus (“sound”) and sonny (“boy”, diminutive).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentionsonusla

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sonus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sound"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sonus (“sound”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sonus",
      "sonus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sonny",
      "sonny#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "ソニー",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Chinese",
          "lang_code": "zh",
          "word": "索尼",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ],
          "roman": "Suǒní"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Chinese",
      "lang_code": "zh",
      "word": "索尼",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "Suǒní"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An international electronics and media company based in Tokyo, Japan."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "681515d8870e58fc96d17f77e4cb2b2287d7fefdce565fb368ff5db50a8d5f47",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0dcd04980e60ab0f229aebde05416aab1ea5a3bc15ec4f5520ce0d521baa4325",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 213996
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A device produced by Sony.

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

A combination of Latin sonus (“sound”) and sonny (“boy”, diminutive).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentionsonusla

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "sonus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sound"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sonus (“sound”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sonus",
      "sonus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sonny",
      "sonny#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A device produced by Sony."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c733cd3c959ccaf9533d2d64a81056b2fdc05df4577c04d9ebbb317bd677c4c5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "99fbef275b0aadbb24e4954c23e768cec6bca95f2bbefff5b83861f60d3cca0e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 213997
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 Sony →

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-U29ueQ