English word origin

Etymology of icky

1935, American English; from icky-boo (circa 1920): sickly, nauseated; baby talk corruption of sick; from a sentimental term for jazz music.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

adj

Unpleasantly sticky; yucky; disgusting. · Excessively sentimental. · Unwell or upset; in a bad state of mind or health.

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

1935, American English; from icky-boo (circa 1920): sickly, nauseated; baby talk corruption of sick; from a sentimental term for jazz music.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "American English",
      "American English"
    ],
    [
      "icky-boo",
      "icky-boo"
    ],
    [
      "sickly",
      "sickly"
    ],
    [
      "nauseated",
      "nauseated"
    ],
    [
      "baby talk",
      "baby talk"
    ],
    [
      "sick",
      "sick"
    ],
    [
      "jazz",
      "jazz"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Unpleasantly sticky; yucky; disgusting.",
        "Excessively sentimental.",
        "Unwell or upset; in a bad state of mind or health."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "9a56e51b02b693c6a767e8525c9bf69c30d28a78c7c4e882d66744ec85e0cbbb",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 348783
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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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 icky →

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-aWNreQ