English word origin

Etymology of lolly

A clipping of lollypop.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 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 ↗

noun

A piece of hard candy on a stick; a lollipop. · An ice lolly; a popsicle. · Any confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a sweet, a piece of candy. · An easy catch.

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

A clipping of lollypop.

This page abbreviates 2 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": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lollypop",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "clipping of lollypop"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lollypop",
      "lollypop#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Samoan",
      "lang_code": "sm",
      "word": "lole",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A piece of hard candy on a stick; a lollipop.",
        "An ice lolly; a popsicle.",
        "Any confection made from sugar, or high in sugar content; a sweet, a piece of candy.",
        "An easy catch."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand"
      ],
      "recordId": "6fc19c0d34ef7131229378e2c57e3732cd811276f764149f9537c4f2e365b076",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5f6656f987057ee2c798ef5b382ecbf8f0063433fa6c8e66b1187fcc7b6c3072",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231194
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The head (or, by extension, the tongue). · A child. Alternative form of lully (“child”). · A fool. · Something simple to do or understand.

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

From loll + -y.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Word-formation componentlollen
Word-formation component-yen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "loll"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "loll",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "loll + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "loll",
      "loll#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The head (or, by extension, the tongue).",
        "A child. Alternative form of lully (“child”).",
        "A fool.",
        "Something simple to do or understand."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "slang",
        "obsolete",
        "dated"
      ],
      "recordId": "09ef22976c87dc0bdc6c40d67624e5f10c9f14345e552ce2da96e2155906b08d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bba1d96a468277bbc2bb19456aa2478a6aa1f8727c0b4bb29a36a9c5183da939",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231195
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Snow or fine ice floating on water.

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

Shortened from loblolly (“gruel”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "loblolly",
      "loblolly#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Snow or fine ice floating on water."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "bb13840681a9ee58070fa47936eaf00a1f5a866fbcf2af186064b6533a7345f2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "96517f01fb9a7b8250952b95f48318e27109839e8edb72b10113a8da0ead1118",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231196
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

adj

Eliciting a response of LOL; funny.

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

Etymology tree English lol Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English lolly From lol + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "lol",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish lol\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish lolly\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-gaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-g\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lolly\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lolly\">\nFrom lol + -y."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "lol",
        "4": "-y<id:adjectival>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish lol\nProto-Indo-European *-kos\nProto-Germanic *-gaz\nProto-West Germanic *-g\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish lolly\nFrom lol + -y."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lol",
      "lol#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-kos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-kos#Proto-Indo-European:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-gaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-gaz#Proto-Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*-g",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-g#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "lol",
      "lol#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Eliciting a response of LOL; funny."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
      "recordId": "5e90fa5d24e3fc01a956c91cfc6ba51ded7ddbbee0eb9181f367d30c19068cff",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a78e6a8d2c14fa9b63c754851d218c02d7cfd4c3dc7a1ab699470a610b1da57a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 231197
    }
  ],
  "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 lolly →

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-bG9sbHk