Etymology

flip-flop

Today it means: A sandal consisting of a rubber sole fastened to the foot by a rubber thong fitting between the toes and around the sides of the foot. Full definition →

First used 20th c.
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The story

Onomatopoeic. Most probably an imitation of the sound produced when walking in them.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. A sandal consisting of a rubber sole fastened to the foot by a rubber thong fitting between the toes and around the sides of the foot.
  • from 19th c. An instance of flip-flopping, of repeatedly changing one's stated opinion about a matter.
  • from 20th c. A bistable; an electronic switching circuit that has either two stable states (switching between them in response to a trigger) or a stable and an unstable state (switching from one to the other and back again in response to a trigger), and which is thereby capable of serving as one bit of memory.
  • from 19th c. A somersault.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.