English word origin

Etymology of toady

From a shortening of toadeater + -y.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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 sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage, or an obsequious, servile lackey or minion. · A coarse, rustic woman.

verb

To behave like a toady (toward someone).

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

From a shortening of toadeater + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "y",
        "id2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "toadeater + -y"
    }
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      "toadeater#English"
    ],
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      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sycophant who flatters others to gain personal advantage, or an obsequious, servile lackey or minion.",
        "A coarse, rustic woman."
      ],
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    },
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      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adj

toadlike

noun

Diminutive of toad.

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

From toad + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "toad",
        "4": "-y",
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        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "From toad + -y."
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "From toad + -y."
    }
  ],
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      "toad",
      "toad#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
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        "Diminutive of toad."
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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 toady →

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-dG9hZHk