*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of disco

From a shortening of discotheque, from French discothèque.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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 dance disco-style dances. · To go to discotheques.

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

From a shortening of discotheque, from French discothèque.

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "discothèque"
      },
      "expansion": "French discothèque"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "discotheque",
      "discotheque#English"
    ],
    [
      "discothèque",
      "discothèque#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dance disco-style dances.",
        "To go to discotheques."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "810d4f2d1ef68beecb64581282d51c120a8109497bcc1ef612ba16f79bc8ec06",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e5731a1f98524e94b547d9f224f330ad1a78d1f318eee2a22bb2c1070fda5f85",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 209831
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of discotheque (“nightclub for dancing”). · A genre of dance music that was popular in the 1970s, characterized by elements of soul music with a strong Latin-American beat and often accompanied by pulsating lights. · A dance, a social gathering where dancing is the main activity.

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

From a shortening of discotheque, from French discothèque.

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "discothèque"
      },
      "expansion": "French discothèque"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "discotheque",
      "discotheque#English"
    ],
    [
      "discothèque",
      "discothèque#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Cebuano",
      "lang_code": "ceb",
      "word": "disko",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "lang_code": "eo",
      "word": "diskoo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "disco",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "word": "disco",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "lang_code": "ro",
      "word": "disco",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Swahili",
      "lang_code": "sw",
      "word": "disko",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tagalog",
      "lang_code": "tl",
      "word": "disko",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "lang_code": "tr",
      "word": "disko",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of discotheque (“nightclub for dancing”).",
        "A genre of dance music that was popular in the 1970s, characterized by elements of soul music with a strong Latin-American beat and often accompanied by pulsating lights.",
        "A dance, a social gathering where dancing is the main activity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "e3d7db08ad1c1a9e984208853821918e0971877115293f3e08e00f41166e0bc5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e940b2abe56e2a465be1eedc48b96439882d23f1ed886c5a569671acc5949e9b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 209830
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

discovery (pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered) · discovery (materials revealed to the opposing party during the pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered)

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

Clipping of discovery.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "discovery"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of discovery"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "discovery",
      "discovery#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "discovery (pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered)",
        "discovery (materials revealed to the opposing party during the pre-trial phase in which evidence is gathered)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "22a38270badcec6b9412d88bac9f28dbb7e2e9b7893871f295bc391b1919e6ca",
      "rawRecordSha256": "18cb47301ea9d726f164978abaa701a08820f505918f0d6e36edd14996833b4e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 209832
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 disco →

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-ZGlzY28