English word origin

Etymology of howdy

Clipping of howdy-do, from how-d'ye-do (“how do you do”).

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 ↗

intj

An informal greeting.

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

Clipping of howdy-do, from how-d'ye-do (“how do you do”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "howdy-do"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of howdy-do"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "howdy-do",
      "howdy-do#English"
    ],
    [
      "how-d'ye-do",
      "how-d'ye-do#English"
    ],
    [
      "how do you do",
      "how do you do"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Sranan Tongo",
      "lang_code": "srn",
      "word": "odi"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "An informal greeting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "informal",
        "regional"
      ],
      "recordId": "c2cc322ab7dad4e63ed3d94b97b7954c2eaf70ac9b566d755661f15462a3c032",
      "rawRecordSha256": "421ff70b0e3b261efbc2f956f88ad20f9131d69547b4fb15d7a77fd05aad59f0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 254807
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To greet informally, especially by saying "howdy"

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

Clipping of howdy-do, from how-d'ye-do (“how do you do”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "howdy-do"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of howdy-do"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "howdy-do",
      "howdy-do#English"
    ],
    [
      "how-d'ye-do",
      "how-d'ye-do#English"
    ],
    [
      "how do you do",
      "how do you do"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To greet informally, especially by saying \"howdy\""
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "babf6a93bdad719b4c53fdc1c2e42e4342b2afcfc0239ee187c43032c66614f8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1f2ff5293b460b2acb848b330d25166d43dbe39f6f50e0b378851cb4a44821de",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 254808
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A wife. · A midwife.

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

Unknown.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unknown",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A wife.",
        "A midwife."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
      "recordId": "f5b729f8269dea0731d8c6463f970c01698695bc68cd322ccc08b640c67c4887",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5ebae43c3c1cd1dee4c1c8a38a5f238758d098612ecfbf2c562e00ff47133bc5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 254809
    }
  ],
  "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 howdy →

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-aG93ZHk