*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kink

From Middle English kinken, kynken, from Old English *cincian (attested in cincung), from Proto-West Germanic *kinkōn, from Proto-Germanic *kinkōną (“to laugh”), from Proto-Indo-European *gang- (“to mock, jeer, deride”),

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To laugh loudly. · To gasp for breath as in a severe fit of coughing.

noun

A convulsive fit of coughing or laughter; a sonorous indraft of breath; a whoop; a gasp of breath caused by laughing, coughing, or crying.

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

From Middle English kinken, kynken, from Old English *cincian (attested in cincung), from Proto-West Germanic *kinkōn, from Proto-Germanic *kinkōną (“to laugh”), from Proto-Indo-European *gang- (“to mock, jeer, deride”), related to Old English canc (“jeering, scorn, derision”). Cognate with Dutch kinken (“to kink, cough”).

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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "kinken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English kinken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*cincian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *cincian"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*kinkōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *kinkōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*kinkōną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *kinkōną (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gang-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to mock, jeer, deride"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gang- (“to mock, jeer, deride”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "canc",
        "3": "",
        "4": "jeering, scorn, derision"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English canc (“jeering, scorn, derision”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "kinken",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to kink, cough"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kinken (“to kink, cough”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kinken",
      "kinken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "kynken",
      "kynken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*cincian",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/cincian"
    ],
    [
      "cincung",
      "cincung#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*kinkōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/kinkōn"
    ],
    [
      "*kinkōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kinkōną"
    ],
    [
      "*gang-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gang-"
    ],
    [
      "canc",
      "canc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "kinken",
      "kinken#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To laugh loudly.",
        "To gasp for breath as in a severe fit of coughing."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A convulsive fit of coughing or laughter; a sonorous indraft of breath; a whoop; a gasp of breath caused by laughing, coughing, or crying."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A tight curl, twist, or bend in a length of rope, line, or other long cylindrical material, such as hair etc. · A cramp or stiffness in a part of the nody, especially the neck or back. · An unusual or irrational notion; a whim; a caprice. · A minor difficulty or flaw that is likely to impede operation, as in a plan or system.

verb

To form a kink or twist. · To be formed into a kink or twist.

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

From Dutch kink (“a twist or curl in a rope”), from Proto-Germanic *kenk-, *keng- (“to bend, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *gengʰ- (“to turn, wind, braid, weave”). Compare Saterland Frisian Kink (“twist or entanglement in a rope or cord”), Middle Low German kinke (“spiral screw, coil”), Old Norse kikna (“to bend backwards, sink at the knee”), Icelandic kengur (“a bend or bight; a metal crook”). Probably related to kick.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionkinknl
  • Derivation mention*kenk-gem-pro
  • Derivation mention*gengʰ-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionKinkstq · twist or entanglement in a rope or cord
  • Cognate mentionkinkegml
  • Cognate mentionkiknanon
  • Cognate mentionkenguris

This page abbreviates 4 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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "kink",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a twist or curl in a rope"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kink (“a twist or curl in a rope”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*kenk-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *kenk-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gengʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to turn, wind, braid, weave"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gengʰ- (“to turn, wind, braid, weave”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Kink",
        "t": "twist or entanglement in a rope or cord"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Kink (“twist or entanglement in a rope or cord”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gml",
        "2": "kinke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spiral screw, coil"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German kinke (“spiral screw, coil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "kikna",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to bend backwards, sink at the knee"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kikna (“to bend backwards, sink at the knee”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "kengur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "a bend or bight; a metal crook"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic kengur (“a bend or bight; a metal crook”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kink",
      "kink#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "*kenk-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kenk-"
    ],
    [
      "*keng-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/keng-"
    ],
    [
      "*gengʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gengʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "Kink",
      "Kink#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "kinke",
      "kinke#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "kikna",
      "kikna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kengur",
      "kengur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "kick",
      "kick#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tight curl, twist, or bend in a length of rope, line, or other long cylindrical material, such as hair etc.",
        "A cramp or stiffness in a part of the nody, especially the neck or back.",
        "An unusual or irrational notion; a whim; a caprice.",
        "A minor difficulty or flaw that is likely to impede operation, as in a plan or system."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "2c7e0b39ebdc98c4518eef81c5e41992f088b17202e9d53c0d558f944bb48cb5",
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To form a kink or twist.",
        "To be formed into a kink or twist."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "313e9ec9d5209cd9c71ae83f778f0d1b20cc2e63782c7d3d188cbba6ff202ab8",
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    "lexicalSenses": 4,
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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 kink →

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-a2luaw