tallywhacker

The story

1. Latin · derived fromtalea“stick, twig”
2. Medieval Latin · derived fromtallia
3. Old French · derived fromtaillee
4. Anglo-Norman · derived fromtallie
5. Middle English · inherited fromtaly“a tally stick”
6. English todaytallywhacker

Uncertain. Possibly from tally (“mate, counterpart”), from Middle English taly (“a tally stick”), from Anglo-Norman tallie, Old French taillee, taillie, from Medieval Latin tallia, talia, taillia, from Latin talea (“stick, twig”), or alternatively from tail, + wag, likely influenced by whack, + -er. Compare tallywag, an eighteenth century dialect term meaning “penis”. Attested as tallywhacker or tallywacker since the twentieth century.

Words from the same roots