peter

peter · noun¹

US, 1902, presumably from shared initial pe-. Compare the use of other men’s names as slang terms for the penis, e.g., dick, willy, johnson, John Thomas, etc.

peter · noun²

Unknown. Attested from the 18th century. The Canting Academy defines peeter as “A portmantle”; Green’s Dictionary of Slang list a variety of uses for peter – including trunk or portmanteau – in thieves’ cant in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The OED suggests that it may be related to St. Peter being the holder of the keys to God's Kingdom.

peter · verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European*sḗh₂l
2. Proto-Italic*sāls
3. Latinsāl
4. Ancient Greekπέτρᾱ (pétrā)
5. Latinpetrae
6. Medieval Latinsāl petrae
7. Old Frenchsalpetre
8. Middle Englishsaltpetre
9. English(salt)peter?
10. Proto-Indo-European*pesd-
11. Proto-Indo-European*pésdeti
12. Proto-Italic*pezdō
13. Latinpēdō
14. Latinpēditum
15. Old Frenchpet
16. Middle Frenchpet
17. Frenchpet
18. Frenchpéterbor.?
19. English todaypeter

Unknown; the following etymologies have been suggested: * From peter (“to stop (doing or saying something)”) (slang, obsolete, rare). * Since the word was first used in mining contexts, either: ** from French péter (“to explode; to break wind, fart”) (slang), from pet (“emission of digestive gases from the anus, flatus, fart”) (slang), from Latin pēditum (“flatus, fart”), from pēdō (“to break wind, fart”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pesd- (“to break wind softly”), probably imitative; or ** from (salt)peter, a variant of saltpetre (“potassium nitrate”) (the key ingredient in gunpowder), from Middle English salpeter, salpetre [and other forms] with the first element influenced by salt, from Old French salpetre (modern French salpêtre), from Medieval Latin salpetra, from Latin sāl petrae (literally “salt of stone”) (as potassium nitrate occurs encrusted on some stones), from sāl (“salt”) + petrae (the nominative or vocative plural of petra (“rock; stone”), from Ancient Greek πέτρᾱ (pétrā, “rock formation; stone”)).

peter · verb⁴

Clipping of blue peter (“play a high card to call for trump”). See further etymology there.

Peter · noun, proper noun⁵

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromΠέτρος
2. Latin · derived fromPetrus
3. Old English · inherited fromPetrus
4. Middle English · inherited fromPeter
5. English todayPeter

From Middle English Peter, from Old English Petrus, from Latin Petrus, from Ancient Greek Πέτρος (Pétros), from πέτρος (pétros, “stone, rock”). Doublet of Pedro, Piers, and Boutros.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 18th c. A safe.
• from 20th c. A prison cell.
• from 19th century Synonym of blue peter; to call for trump by throwing away a high card while holding a lower one.