English word origin

Etymology of tubby

From tub + -y. False cognate with chubby, even though they are often interchangeable.

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 ↗

adj

stout, rotund · Resembling a tub · sounding dull and without resonance or freedom of sound.

noun

An overweight person.

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

From tub + -y. False cognate with chubby, even though they are often interchangeable.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tub",
        "3": "y"
      },
      "expansion": "tub + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tub",
      "tub#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ],
    [
      "False cognate",
      "false cognate"
    ],
    [
      "chubby",
      "chubby"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "stout, rotund",
        "Resembling a tub",
        "sounding dull and without resonance or freedom of sound."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 364124
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An overweight person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "often",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "c24a456fb75eb9e881be3ea8a749b3aa98892b97d792f852f5b1317c78ce002a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6648abcc37ff2aba8d12918dd19437dcd41337cdb32dc502e9ea86d2050c6128",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 364125
    }
  ],
  "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 tubby →

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-dHViYnk