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English word origin

Etymology of dildo

Unclear; possibly an alteration of English diddle. Compare the use as an expressive nonsense syllable in often sexual songs and the spelling dil doul, found in e.g. The Maids Complaint for want of a Dil Doul, a song in t

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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

To penetrate with a dildo or with another object as if it were a dildo.

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

Unclear; possibly an alteration of English diddle. Compare the use as an expressive nonsense syllable in often sexual songs and the spelling dil doul, found in e.g. The Maids Complaint for want of a Dil Doul, a song in the library of Samuel Pepys. Unlikely to be related to Italian diletto (“delight”) or Latin dīlātō (“to open up, spread”), often cited etymologies.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Unclear"
      },
      "expansion": "Unclear"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "diddle",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "English diddle"
    },
    {
      "name": "sound-symbolic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "title": "expressive"
      },
      "expansion": "expressive"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "it",
        "2": "diletto",
        "3": "",
        "4": "delight"
      },
      "expansion": "Italian diletto (“delight”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "dīlātō",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to open up, spread"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin dīlātō (“to open up, spread”)"
    }
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      "diddle#English"
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      "expressive"
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      "diletto#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "dīlātō",
      "dilato#Latin"
    ]
  ],
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  "lexical": [
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        "To penetrate with a dildo or with another object as if it were a dildo."
      ],
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        "transitive"
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A device used for sexual penetration or another sexual activity. · An artificial penis. · Any device or implement. · An idiot; a bore.

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

Unclear; possibly an alteration of English diddle. Compare the use as an expressive nonsense syllable in often sexual songs and the spelling dil doul, found in e.g. The Maids Complaint for want of a Dil Doul, a song in the library of Samuel Pepys. Unlikely to be related to Italian diletto (“delight”) or Latin dīlātō (“to open up, spread”), often cited etymologies.

This page abbreviates 1 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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        "1": "en",
        "2": "Unclear"
      },
      "expansion": "Unclear"
    },
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      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "diddle",
        "3": ""
      },
      "expansion": "English diddle"
    },
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    }
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      "diletto#Italian"
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      "dilato#Latin"
    ]
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      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "ডিলডো",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ḍiloḍō"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "lang_code": "bn",
      "word": "ডিল্ডো",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ḍilḍō"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Czech",
      "lang_code": "cs",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "word": "डिल्डो",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "ḍilḍo"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "ディルド",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "dirudo"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "딜도",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "dildo"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Malay",
      "lang_code": "ms",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "lang_code": "nb",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "lang_code": "nn",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "word": "dildo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "pos": "noun",
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        "A device used for sexual penetration or another sexual activity.",
        "An artificial penis.",
        "Any device or implement.",
        "An idiot; a bore."
      ],
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        "slang",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
intj

A burden: a phrase or theme that recurs at the end of a verse of a folk song.

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

Related to other nonsense syllables like dido and diddle(-diddle), which similarly developed sexual senses. Found since at least the 1500s, often in contexts where allusion is being made to the sexual sense (above). Possibly influenced by Middle English dildoun (“darling, pet”), early modern English dildin (“sweetheart”); compare Old Norse dilla (“to lull”), dillindo (“lullaby”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "dildoun",
        "4": "",
        "5": "darling, pet"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dildoun (“darling, pet”)"
    },
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        "3": "",
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    },
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        "3": "",
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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.

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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-ZGlsZG8