*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pongo

From Kongo mpongo (“gorilla”).

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 soldier. · A lazy, good-for-nothing person. · Any large ape.

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

From Kongo mpongo (“gorilla”).

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.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kg",
        "3": "mpongo",
        "gloss": "gorilla"
      },
      "expansion": "Kongo mpongo (“gorilla”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "mpongo",
      "mpongo#Kongo"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A soldier.",
        "A lazy, good-for-nothing person.",
        "Any large ape."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "slang",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "9f789b1e8f1dce2e984b38e67a8f695bd619554f090f00f62cc01930f693ecbc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dc5d257e52b22c8e66a263ea63eae219023d893f7f1cef64fc905ef79d62152b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 279392
    }
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A river canyon or gorge in Peru, especially a narrow, deep one cutting through a ridge or mountain range, carved by an Andean river.

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

From Peruvian Spanish [Term?], thought to be from Quechua puncu/punku or Aymara ponco "door, gate". Semantically, compare puerta.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish [Term?]"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A river canyon or gorge in Peru, especially a narrow, deep one cutting through a ridge or mountain range, carved by an Andean river."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "dd12619c45564480b456cb429926c3ece9d2456579ef5d163a33b192541dcc9b",
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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 pongo →

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-cG9uZ28