English word origin

Etymology of pingo

From Greenlandic pingu or Inuktitut pingu (“hummock, small hill”).

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 conical mound of earth with an ice core caused by permafrost uplift, particularly if lasting more than a year.

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

From Greenlandic pingu or Inuktitut pingu (“hummock, small hill”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionpingukl
Derivation mentionpinguiu

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kl",
        "3": "pingu"
      },
      "expansion": "Greenlandic pingu"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "iu",
        "3": "pingu",
        "4": "",
        "5": "hummock, small hill"
      },
      "expansion": "Inuktitut pingu (“hummock, small hill”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Northwest Territories",
      "Northwest Territories"
    ],
    [
      "Canada",
      "Canada"
    ],
    [
      "pingu",
      "pingu#Greenlandic"
    ],
    [
      "pingu",
      "pingu#Inuktitut"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A conical mound of earth with an ice core caused by permafrost uplift, particularly if lasting more than a year."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "4efa80723fa60c5ac30a5288e5ffba1907daa06e289f84710dabf961b863086c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e24c09630c5a163e1fd960f44bed29384d1bce4a6f2b3c4a285a1e8fad1228f6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1014751
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A flexible pole supported on one shoulder, with a load suspended from each end. · A measure of weight equivalent to that which can be carried using a pingo, equal to around 25 kilograms (55 lbs).

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

Apparently from Sinhalese [Term?] (?), but the word has not yet been identified.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "si"
      },
      "expansion": "Sinhalese [Term?]"
    },
    {
      "name": "small",
      "args": {
        "1": "Singh[alese]"
      },
      "expansion": "Singh[alese]"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "carrying pole",
      "carrying pole"
    ],
    [
      "fenugreek",
      "fenugreek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A flexible pole supported on one shoulder, with a load suspended from each end.",
        "A measure of weight equivalent to that which can be carried using a pingo, equal to around 25 kilograms (55 lbs)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Sri-Lanka",
        "dated"
      ],
      "recordId": "0dbc2fff072b935bbcaeaa2853bdd7ce149790283e8c51769e7e0ddaaac77fdb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2b4603a9ab6518c76dba5b5f89ee7383042d9019bff852b6f160fd45c82f81bd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1014752
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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 pingo →

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-cGluZ28