English word origin

Etymology of doll

From Doll, pet form of the given name Dorothy. Etymology 1, noun sense 7 was coined and popularized by American writer Jacqueline Susann in 1966 through her book Valley of the Dolls (1966) and the film adaptation Valley

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

Synonym of doll up.

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A small figure resembling a human being that is used as a toy. · An attractive young woman. · A transgender woman or transfeminine person, especially one that has a highly sexual and feminine personal style. · A transgender woman or transfeminine person, in general.

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

This page abbreviates 6 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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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A temporary barrier used in horse racing.

verb

To place a barrier in front of (a section of the course that is to be omitted from a horse race).

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

Probably variant of archaic dool (“boundary marker”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Synonym of dollar.

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

Clipping of dollar.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

verb

To warm moderately; to make tepid; to mull.

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

Possibly same as dull (whence Middle English doll).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiondollenm

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Where this record stops

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Contribute located evidence for doll →

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-ZG9sbA