*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pout

From Middle English pouten, probably from Scandinavian (compare Norwegian pute (“pillow, cushion”), dial. Swedish puta (“to be puffed out”), Danish pude (“pillow, cushion”)), from Proto-Germanic *pūto (“swollen”) (compar

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 ↗
verb

To push out one's lips; especially, to do so in a gesture of dismay, either serious or playful. · To thrust itself outward; to be prominent. · To be or pretend to be ill-tempered; to sulk. · To say while pouting.

noun

One's facial expression when pouting. · A fit of sulking or sullenness.

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

From Middle English pouten, probably from Scandinavian (compare Norwegian pute (“pillow, cushion”), dial. Swedish puta (“to be puffed out”), Danish pude (“pillow, cushion”)), from Proto-Germanic *pūto (“swollen”) (compare English eelpout, Dutch puit, Low German puddig (“inflated”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bu- (“to swell”) (compare Sanskrit बुद्बुद (budbuda, “bubble”)).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "pouten"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English pouten"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "pute",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pillow, cushion"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian pute (“pillow, cushion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "puta",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to be puffed out"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish puta (“to be puffed out”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "pude",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pillow, cushion"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish pude (“pillow, cushion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*pūto",
        "4": "",
        "5": "swollen"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *pūto (“swollen”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "eelpout"
      },
      "expansion": "English eelpout"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "puit"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch puit"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "puddig",
        "3": "",
        "4": "inflated"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German puddig (“inflated”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bu-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to swell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bu- (“to swell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sa",
        "2": "बुद्बुद",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bubble"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit बुद्बुद (budbuda, “bubble”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pouten",
      "pouten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "pute",
      "pute#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "puta",
      "puta#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "pude",
      "pude#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "*pūto",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/pūto"
    ],
    [
      "eelpout",
      "eelpout#English"
    ],
    [
      "puit",
      "puit#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "puddig",
      "puddig#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "*bu-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bu-"
    ],
    [
      "बुद्बुद",
      "बुद्बुद#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To push out one's lips; especially, to do so in a gesture of dismay, either serious or playful.",
        "To thrust itself outward; to be prominent.",
        "To be or pretend to be ill-tempered; to sulk.",
        "To say while pouting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238597
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One's facial expression when pouting.",
        "A fit of sulking or sullenness."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "927951b37f47f772d9854f34f95895ee7c722e28b6a7ead544b55d8813d35d63",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Any of various fishes such as the hornpout (Ameiurus nebulosus, the brown bullhead), the pouting (Trisopterus luscus) and the eelpouts (Zoarcidae).

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

From Middle English *poute, from Old English *pūte as in ǣlepūta, ǣlepūte (“eelpout”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to swell”). Related to pout (“to push one's lip out”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mention*pouteenm
  • Inherited-form mention*pūteang
  • Derivation mention*bew-ine-pro · to swell
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*poute"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *poute"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*pūte"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *pūte"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bew-",
        "t": "to swell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to swell”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*poute",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/poute"
    ],
    [
      "*pūte",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/pute"
    ],
    [
      "ǣlepūta",
      "æleputa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ǣlepūte",
      "ælepute#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*bew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bew-"
    ],
    [
      "pout",
      "pout#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of various fishes such as the hornpout (Ameiurus nebulosus, the brown bullhead), the pouting (Trisopterus luscus) and the eelpouts (Zoarcidae)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "95fed3f19fdaecf181edaa0733660254c1253fdd2c264c596f17d11572fb6e27",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b916bec3cb461c4d850c2c67f953c56d4141570792ca7e585909a52465654567",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 238599
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "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 pout →

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-cG91dA