*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of vonce

Borrowed from Yiddish וואַנץ (vants, “bedbug”), by analogy to the English slang term roach. Attested since the 1950s.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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

Marijuana; cannabis, especially used as a drug. · Something or someone small and annoying. Used more as a term of endearment than a criticism.

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

Borrowed from Yiddish וואַנץ (vants, “bedbug”), by analogy to the English slang term roach. Attested since the 1950s.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "וואַנץ",
        "gloss": "bedbug"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish וואַנץ (vants, “bedbug”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "וואַנץ",
      "וואַנץ#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "roach",
      "roach#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Marijuana; cannabis, especially used as a drug.",
        "Something or someone small and annoying. Used more as a term of endearment than a criticism."
      ],
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        "US",
        "countable",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6388620
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Sexual activity. · A state in which the musician produces great improvisation intuitively.

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

Uncertain; possibly from German Schwanz (“tail, slang for penis”) or Yiddish שוואַנץ (shvants, “penis”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Schwanz",
        "gloss": "tail, slang for penis"
      },
      "expansion": "German Schwanz (“tail, slang for penis”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "שוואַנץ",
        "gloss": "penis"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish שוואַנץ (shvants, “penis”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Schwanz",
      "Schwanz#German"
    ],
    [
      "שוואַנץ",
      "שוואַנץ#Yiddish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Sexual activity.",
        "A state in which the musician produces great improvisation intuitively."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A jerk; an unpleasant person.

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

Uncertain; Possibly either of the etymologies listed above. Attested since the 1960s.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    }
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A jerk; an unpleasant person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "slang"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
adv

Pronunciation spelling of once, imitative of German-accented or non-native English.

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

See once.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    [
      "once",
      "once#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Pronunciation spelling of once, imitative of German-accented or non-native English."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "not-comparable",
        "pronunciation-spelling"
      ],
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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 vonce →

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-dm9uY2U