Etymology

gecko

gec·ko
G2E1C3K5O1

Today it means: Any lizard in the infraorder Gekkota. Full definition →

Dutch gekko ← Malay gekok ← Acehnese gèh-gòh
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The story

  1. Acehnese · derived fromgèh-gòh“busy”
  2. Malay · derived fromgekok
  3. Dutch · derived fromgekko
  4. English todaygecko

The modern form was probably borrowed into English and other European languages from Dutch gekko (1718). Contemporary English forms were chacco (1711) and jackoa (1724). The further origin is not quite clear. Some sources mention a supposed Malay gekok, gekoq, or gekop, which would be imitative of the gecko’s chirping sound. Another theory derives it from Acehnese gèh-gòh (“busy”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.