*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tops

Likely top + -s (diminutive).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

third-person singular simple present indicative of top

adv

At the very most; as a maximum.

adj

Great; excellent.

noun

The uppermost field of a dartboard; the double-20 field

noun

plural of top

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

Likely top + -s (diminutive).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Word-formation componenttopen
  • Word-formation component-sen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
        "2": "top",
        "3": "-s",
        "id2": "hypocoristic",
        "pos2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "top + -s (diminutive)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
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      "top#English"
    ],
    [
      "-s",
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    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "third-person singular simple present indicative of top"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "At the very most; as a maximum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 395062
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Great; excellent."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "not-comparable",
        "slang"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 395063
    },
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      "glosses": [
        "The uppermost field of a dartboard; the double-20 field"
      ],
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    },
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "plural of top"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
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      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 tops →

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-dG9wcw