English word origin

Etymology of loco

Borrowed from Italian.

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 ↗

adv

A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower.

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

Borrowed from Italian.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "it:-",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"lang_name\" : \"Italian\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"it\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"loco\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"loco\">\nBorrowed from Italian."
    },
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    }
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  "lexical": [
    {
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        "A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower."
      ],
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        "not-comparable"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A certain species of Astragalus or Oxytropis, capable of causing locoism.

adj

Crazy. · Intoxicated by eating locoweed.

verb

To poison with the loco plant; to affect with locoism. · To render insane.

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

From Spanish loco (“insane, crazy; loose”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionlocoes · insane, crazy; loose

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "loco",
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      },
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    }
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      "loco#Spanish"
    ]
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A certain species of Astragalus or Oxytropis, capable of causing locoism."
      ],
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Crazy.",
        "Intoxicated by eating locoweed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "Southwestern",
        "US"
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Short for locomotive. · Short for locofoco, in its various senses.

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

From clipping of locomotive and locofoco, both from Latin locus (“place, cause”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionlocusla

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "nocap": "1"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "locus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "place, cause"
      },
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    }
  ],
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "cause"
    ]
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        "Short for locomotive.",
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      ],
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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 loco →

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-bG9jbw