*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of blip

Onomatopoeic.

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

A small dot registered on electronic equipment, such as a radar or oscilloscope screen. · A short sound of a single pitch, usually electronically generated. · A brief and usually minor aberration or deviation from what is expected or normal. · An individual message or document in the Google Wave software framework.

verb

To make a short beep sound. · To change state abruptly, such as between off and on or dark and light, sometimes implying motion. · Synonym of bleep (“to replace offending words in a broadcast recording with a tone”). · To apply the throttle briefly when downshifting, to provide a smoother gear transition and prevent wheelspin.

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

Onomatopoeic.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small dot registered on electronic equipment, such as a radar or oscilloscope screen.",
        "A short sound of a single pitch, usually electronically generated.",
        "A brief and usually minor aberration or deviation from what is expected or normal.",
        "An individual message or document in the Google Wave software framework."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "Internet",
        "historical"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 547288
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make a short beep sound.",
        "To change state abruptly, such as between off and on or dark and light, sometimes implying motion.",
        "Synonym of bleep (“to replace offending words in a broadcast recording with a tone”).",
        "To apply the throttle briefly when downshifting, to provide a smoother gear transition and prevent wheelspin."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "informal",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "edbcf933e56631dd184af05bb6974c720afded2ca9090f0aac4f9d85ebb564bb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "52ae9f78bf292bf8410786b8afbfff21032eded6c128ed7b8e3c6c321e65fdd6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 547289
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "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 blip →

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-YmxpcA