Etymology

dingus

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Today it means: A gadget, device, or object whose name is either unknown, forgotten, or omitted for the purpose of humor. Full definition →

Dutch dinges
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dingus · noun1

  1. Dutch · borrowed fromdinges“thingamajig, thingy; whatshisname, whatshername”
  2. English todaydingus

Probably of multiple origins. Partially a borrowing from Dutch dinges (“thingamajig, thingy; whatshisname, whatshername”), ding (“thing”). Probably also partially a borrowing from Afrikaans in view of its South African occurrence. The spelling dingus is a pseudo-Latinism to look like a Latin word ending in -us.

Dingus · proper noun2

  1. German · derived fromDinges
  2. English todayDingus

Probably an Americanized spelling of German Dinges.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.