English word origin

Etymology of smoot

Derives from the height of Oliver R. Smoot, who had lain on the Harvard Bridge to measure it as a fraternity prank at MIT.

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 ↗

noun

A unit of length defined as exactly sixty-seven inches (approximately 1.70 meters).

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

Derives from the height of Oliver R. Smoot, who had lain on the Harvard Bridge to measure it as a fraternity prank at MIT.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A unit of length defined as exactly sixty-seven inches (approximately 1.70 meters)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "humorous"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A small opening built into a dry-stone wall, fence, or hedge to allow sheep (and hares) to pass through; a thirl.

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

From Middle English *smote, *smotte, from Old Norse smátta (“narrow passageway, gap”), from Proto-Germanic *smēhtǭ (“narrow path”), from Proto-Germanic *smēhaz (“small, narrow”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mention*smoteenm
Derivation mentionsmáttanon · narrow passageway, gap
Derivation mention*smēhtǭgem-pro · narrow path
Derivation mention*smēhazgem-pro · small, narrow

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*smote"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *smote"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "smátta",
        "t": "narrow passageway, gap"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse smátta (“narrow passageway, gap”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
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        "t": "narrow path"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *smēhtǭ (“narrow path”)"
    },
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        "t": "small, narrow"
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*smote",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/smote"
    ],
    [
      "*smotte",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/smotte"
    ],
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      "smátta",
      "smátta#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*smēhtǭ",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/smēhtǭ"
    ],
    [
      "*smēhaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/smēhaz"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small opening built into a dry-stone wall, fence, or hedge to allow sheep (and hares) to pass through; a thirl."
      ],
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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 smoot →

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-c21vb3Q