*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Toby

The Middle English vernacular form of Tobias.

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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name from Hebrew. · A female given name from Hebrew. · A surname originating as a patronymic. · in the traditional Punch and Judy show the showman's (live) dog trained to take part in the puppet show and to carry a bag around the audience soliciting donations.

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

The Middle English vernacular form of Tobias.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Tobias",
      "Tobias"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Hebrew.",
        "A female given name from Hebrew.",
        "A surname originating as a patronymic.",
        "in the traditional Punch and Judy show the showman's (live) dog trained to take part in the puppet show and to carry a bag around the audience soliciting donations."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare",
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "f5127a797216938ad198b321474eed5d86e33b7935df5c66f29d2977e36e0b67",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8545e34a6eca85a7cb291acc853a466d16e21f3c1d095e4bb45ae4a4ba1b26b5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 333957
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The superintendent of a street market.

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

Borrowed from Shelta toba (“the road”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sth:toba<t:the road>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"the road\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Shelta\", \"term\" : \"toba\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"sth\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Toby\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Toby\">\nBorrowed from Shelta toba (“the road”)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "sth:toba<t:the road>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Shelta toba (“the road”)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "toba",
      "toba#Shelta"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The superintendent of a street market."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "dab5d63726bad5672a089e1cf5c7fbfe18612df649664f41659cd1add528e6d2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4c14f80126f206c0884c52526514f0af4cdc4ea807983bc14dd63e66617ca8ab",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 333958
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "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 Toby →

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-VG9ieQ