*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tup

From Middle English tupe (compare Scots tuip), origin unknown.

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 ↗
verb

To mate; used of a ram mating with a ewe. · To have sex with, to bonk, etc. · To butt.

noun

A male sheep, a ram. · The head of a hammer, and particularly of a steam-driven hammer.

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

From Middle English tupe (compare Scots tuip), origin unknown.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontupeenm
  • Cognate mentiontuipsco
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tupe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tupe"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "tuip"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots tuip"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tupe",
      "tupe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tuip",
      "tuip#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To mate; used of a ram mating with a ewe.",
        "To have sex with, to bonk, etc.",
        "To butt."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang",
        "English",
        "regional"
      ],
      "recordId": "293385b4c3e8dee4dda93b5ff2cedf9394a735ad93a4e48beccfea66041fa0be",
      "rawRecordSha256": "44d66a8383351aa428c9bbaa7f2ec76c675272ae4033d12d4f057f0467f97d90",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 167103
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A male sheep, a ram.",
        "The head of a hammer, and particularly of a steam-driven hammer."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a2d91d41db0ce19a3066439ae28aeb3ff8a79e314ffcfb73fce1368a097edcea",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bb771da8f7beb1b943714050c1c9d76d61ef9f6b531c01226ecd048f0b597a9a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 167102
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Two pence.

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

Clipping of tuppence (“two pence”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip of",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tuppence",
        "3": "",
        "4": "two pence"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of tuppence (“two pence”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tuppence",
      "tuppence#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Two pence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "a1f7b94e93d96c5188db48af2c72abe7191695deed4d7af151aeca1c3be5d02c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d877add60dd092200ae8bcc909f6fcd8de1820902f2d4fe069e3a95366268c8b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 167104
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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 tup →

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-dHVw