*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dink

Imitative. Originally US. Attested since the 1930s.

8 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 8 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

Original entry ↗
verb

To play a soft drop shot. · To play a soft drop shot at or near the non-volley zone. · To strike the ball gently. · To chip lightly, to play a light chip shot.

noun

A soft drop shot. · A soft drop shot played at or near the non-volley zone. · A light chip; a chipped pass or shot

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

Imitative. Originally US. Attested since the 1930s.

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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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A ride on the crossbar or handlebars of a bicycle.

verb

To carry someone on a pushbike: behind, on the crossbar or on the handlebar.

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

Origin unknown. Attested since the 1930s.

Inspect preserved source fields

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A Vietnamese person.

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

Uncertain. Either: * A rhythmatic reduplicative of Chink, a derogatory term for a Chinese person. Attested from Australia since the 1960s (consult the American Heritage Dictionary). * or, clipping of dinky dau/dow, a corrupted borrowing from Vietnamese điên cái đầu (“[you make my] head goes crazy”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
verb

Deliberate misspelling of drink (“to consume a liquid through the mouth”)

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

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *drinkaną Proto-West Germanic *drinkan Old English drincan Middle English drynken English drink English dink Syncopic form of drink.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 6

Original entry ↗
adj

Honest, fair, true. · Genuine, proper, fair dinkum.

adv

Honestly, truly.

noun

Hard work, especially one's share of a task. · A soldier from Australia or New Zealand, a member of the ANZAC forces during the First World War.

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

See dinkum.

Inspect preserved source fields

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Source etymology 7

Original entry ↗
noun

The penis. · A foolish or contemptible person.

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

Origin unknown. Attested since the late nineteenth century.

Inspect preserved source fields

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Source etymology 8

Original entry ↗
adj

Finely dressed, elegant; neat.

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

Origin unknown. Attested in English and in Scots since the sixteenth century.

Inspect preserved source fields

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Source etymology 9

Original entry ↗
adj

Alternative spelling of dinq.

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

See dinq.

Inspect preserved source fields

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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.

Contribute located evidence for dink →

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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZGluaw