*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of thesp

Clipping of thespian.

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 ↗
noun

An actor.

verb

To act (perform in a play etc.).

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

Clipping of thespian.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "thespian"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of thespian"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "thespian",
      "thespian#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An actor."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "35b4757975ed6fb319fccedeb864dff565a3af7a50139d4204960ff3a5b1a150",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b7e50a14963cde5848f68958bf7e2669a5f346fcf8f0753e99bfa74ce8f7fc13",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2703017
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To act (perform in a play etc.)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "79c4d23a639e3f43d5534f2e4559541e75f89f47d22f5280aa0c61b3129ad685",
      "rawRecordSha256": "31d8689278375241c926d1dae0914f70c6dc01d241a17f0aca4aeaef4bf29e57",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2703018
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "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 thesp →

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-dGhlc3A