*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dingo

Borrowed from Dharug dingu (“tame or domesticated dingo”).

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.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To behave in a cowardly or treacherous manner. · To renege on an agreement or situation. · To let down another individual.

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

Borrowed from Dharug dingu (“tame or domesticated dingo”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentiondinguxdk
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xdk",
        "3": "dingu",
        "4": "",
        "5": "tame or domesticated dingo"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Dharug dingu (“tame or domesticated dingo”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dingu",
      "dingu#Dharug"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To behave in a cowardly or treacherous manner.",
        "To renege on an agreement or situation.",
        "To let down another individual."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "informal",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "69f3fec72dd5d0b75e02f24d718b75eca4e88eae1daff30d673030fc8b302354",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dc9a7e689790197c58a63b6160e16e281b88c47eab989ec6c0803f3de24b4b4a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219983
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A wild dog native to Australia (Canis familiaris, Canis familiaris dingo, Canis dingo, or Canis lupus dingo). · A cowardly or otherwise despicable person.

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

Borrowed from Dharug dingu (“tame or domesticated dingo”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentiondinguxdk
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xdk",
        "3": "dingu",
        "4": "",
        "5": "tame or domesticated dingo"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Dharug dingu (“tame or domesticated dingo”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dingu",
      "dingu#Dharug"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Translingual",
      "lang_code": "mul",
      "word": "Dingosa",
      "raw_tags": [
        "reshaped by analogy or addition of morphemes"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A wild dog native to Australia (Canis familiaris, Canis familiaris dingo, Canis dingo, or Canis lupus dingo).",
        "A cowardly or otherwise despicable person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "4993ad8525fd5bd5a6357c2677f011a791a82ba3342f90d1feaeeaa9b072e1c6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "511526a3727d9a577a784c50cfd06b8b6a7e8fdec5b9d6b49a80d325c35b3f54",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 219982
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "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 dingo →

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-ZGluZ28