*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Poe

A nickname from Old Norse pái (“peacock”). This surname is also well established in Ireland.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Old Norse · Edgar Allan Poe, an American author and poet of the 19th century, known especially for his dark themes. · An unincorporated community in Allen County, Indiana, United States. · An unincorporated community in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States.

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

A nickname from Old Norse pái (“peacock”). This surname is also well established in Ireland.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionpáinon
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "pái",
        "4": "",
        "5": "peacock"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse pái (“peacock”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pái",
      "pái#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "Ireland",
      "Ireland"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Old Norse",
        "Edgar Allan Poe, an American author and poet of the 19th century, known especially for his dark themes.",
        "An unincorporated community in Allen County, Indiana, United States.",
        "An unincorporated community in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "cb5f7d26564e1d86fcbeb8faadad77cb41f29eb99734ddf25c64a43e5a275763",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5a7f419f0dee1fedc4781b816ef22914a2547a84448c1ee466680eec187a924c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4072044
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To impersonate or mimic an extreme viewpoint in a way that invokes Poe's law. · To write or create a message so extreme or parodic that it is difficult to distinguish from sincere extremism.

noun

A person whose views, statements, or behaviour are so extreme or satirical that it is impossible to tell whether they are sincere or parodic. · A post, comment, or message whose sincerity cannot be determined; specifically, one that may be parody, satire, or trolling, but could also be a genuine expression of belief.

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

From Poe's law, an Internet adage coined by Nathan Poe in 2005 on the Christian Forums website. Originally applied to religious fundamentalism, the term has since broadened to describe any situation where parody and sincerity are indistinguishable.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Poe's law",
      "Poe's law"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To impersonate or mimic an extreme viewpoint in a way that invokes Poe's law.",
        "To write or create a message so extreme or parodic that it is difficult to distinguish from sincere extremism."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
      "recordId": "c375bc65bf488a6a428f4c56d688641a5f4c4c54b4f75a23d3fa3f5b1cfafeda",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7b1496aba8ac54b9ed7b75f14cdcc6cccf6f66d51be9b831c33931741386724a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4072046
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A person whose views, statements, or behaviour are so extreme or satirical that it is impossible to tell whether they are sincere or parodic.",
        "A post, comment, or message whose sincerity cannot be determined; specifically, one that may be parody, satire, or trolling, but could also be a genuine expression of belief."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
      "recordId": "eedf52f65bc78dee6cd5a8ce151b1f2f8f9ef2361063d02b4dcbaf4044a5c0a0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "228f101e598f814cbe05fd312af2f447cc7630e281241ddd0812ecfde778af79",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4072045
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Poe →

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-UG9l