*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dunch

From Middle English dunchen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from the noun (see below); or of North Germanic origin, related to Old Swedish diunga (“to hit, knock”), dialectal Swedish dunka (“to beat”); or from Middle Engl

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

Original entry ↗
verb

To knock against; to hit, punch · To crash into; to bump into. · To gore with the horns, as a bull. · To push, jog, or nudge, especially with the elbow.

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

From Middle English dunchen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from the noun (see below); or of North Germanic origin, related to Old Swedish diunga (“to hit, knock”), dialectal Swedish dunka (“to beat”); or from Middle English dengen, from Old English denġan, denċġan (“to knock, ding”), from Proto-Germanic *dangijaną (“to bang, knock”). Compare English dinge.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiondunchenenm
  • Cognate mentiondiungagmq-osw · to hit, knock
  • Cognate mentiondunkasv · to beat
  • Inherited-form mentiondengenenm
  • Inherited-form mentiondenġanang
  • Inherited-form mention*dangijanągem-pro · to bang, knock
  • Cognate mentiondingeen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dunchen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dunchen"
    },
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmq-osw",
        "2": "diunga",
        "t": "to hit, knock"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Swedish diunga (“to hit, knock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "dunka",
        "t": "to beat"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish dunka (“to beat”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dengen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dengen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "denġan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English denġan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dangijaną",
        "t": "to bang, knock"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dangijaną (“to bang, knock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dinge"
      },
      "expansion": "English dinge"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dunchen",
      "dunchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "diunga",
      "diunga#Old_Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "dunka",
      "dunka#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "dengen",
      "dengen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "denġan",
      "dengan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "denċġan",
      "dencgan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dangijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dangijaną"
    ],
    [
      "dinge",
      "dinge#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To knock against; to hit, punch",
        "To crash into; to bump into.",
        "To gore with the horns, as a bull.",
        "To push, jog, or nudge, especially with the elbow."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Geordie",
        "Scotland",
        "UK"
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A push; knock; bump. · A fat hit from a claggy lie.

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

From Middle English dunche, perhaps from Old English *dynċ, from Proto-Germanic *dunkiz. Compare Old Norse dykr, dynkr (“a crashing noise”), Danish dunk (“a blow”), Swedish dunk (“a thump, clap”), Norwegian dunk (“a knock, bump”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionduncheenm
  • Inherited-form mention*dynċang
  • Inherited-form mention*dunkizgem-pro
  • Cognate mentiondykrnon
  • Cognate mentiondunkda · a blow
  • Cognate mentiondunksv · a thump, clap
  • Cognate mentiondunkno · a knock, bump
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dunche"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dunche"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*dynċ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *dynċ"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dunkiz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dunkiz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "dykr"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse dykr"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "dunk",
        "t": "a blow"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish dunk (“a blow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "dunk",
        "t": "a thump, clap"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish dunk (“a thump, clap”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "dunk",
        "t": "a knock, bump"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian dunk (“a knock, bump”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dunche",
      "dunche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*dynċ",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/dync"
    ],
    [
      "*dunkiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dunkiz"
    ],
    [
      "dykr",
      "dykr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "dynkr",
      "dynkr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "dunk",
      "dunk#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "dunk",
      "dunk#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "dunk",
      "dunk#Norwegian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A push; knock; bump.",
        "A fat hit from a claggy lie."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "4a28353b5cccc5a96bade2f72228fdcd9945194ecf580ea349321690753de0a8",
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A leisurely meal between lunch and dinner in the late afternoon or early evening (about 3-5 p.m.), usually instead of lunch or dinner.

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

Blend of dinner + lunch, probably in imitation of brunch.

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": "blend",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dinner",
        "3": "lunch"
      },
      "expansion": "Blend of dinner + lunch"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dinner",
      "dinner#English"
    ],
    [
      "lunch",
      "lunch#English"
    ],
    [
      "brunch",
      "brunch#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A leisurely meal between lunch and dinner in the late afternoon or early evening (about 3-5 p.m.), usually instead of lunch or dinner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "d6763f6d1457c124f4d7995735a4de54e9953760beecf83d57d3a0f3d6bc0cc4",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 120392
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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 dunch →

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-ZHVuY2g