Etymology

play-play

Today it means: To mess around, to play around; to take things lightly. Full definition →

Mandarin 玩玩
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play-play · verb1

  1. Mandarin · calque of玩玩
  2. English todayplay-play

Reduplication of play, influenced by Malay grammar (Malay main-main), or a calque of Mandarin 玩玩 (wánwan).

play-play · adjective2

  1. Afrikaans · calque ofspeel-speel
  2. English todayplay-play

Reduplication of play, possibly influenced by Afrikaans speel-speel.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.