English word origin

Etymology of dodgy

From dodge (verb) + -y. First used in mid-19th century England.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary 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 ↗

adj

Evasive and shifty. · Unsound and unreliable. · Dishonest. · Risky.

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

From dodge (verb) + -y. First used in mid-19th century England.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Word-formation componentdodgeen
Word-formation component-yen

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dodge",
        "3": "-y",
        "pos1": "verb",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "dodge (verb) + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dodge",
      "dodge#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Evasive and shifty.",
        "Unsound and unreliable.",
        "Dishonest.",
        "Risky."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "recordId": "a9b6ed4a9c261f439fe0d7a9204e65452c2de037a4a90c398b7af31de0e1b6ad",
      "rawRecordSha256": "df39289a090bd223409be9485230d20024da6cd7fea04022dc2aeb32860cf64e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 276425
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "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 dodgy →

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-ZG9kZ3k