Etymology

taser

T1A1S1E1R1

Today it means: A Taser, a handheld device made by Taser International intended to immobilize another by delivering an electric shock. Full definition →

English Taser ← Middle English riflen ← Old French rifler
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taser · noun, verb1

  1. Aramaicתאמא
  2. Aramaicתאומא (təʾōmā)
  3. Ancient GreekΘωμᾶς (Thōmâs)
  4. LatinThōmās
  5. Middle EnglishThomas
  6. Middle EnglishThomme
  7. EnglishTom
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ksweybʰ-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*kswéybʰ-e-ti
  10. Proto-Germanic*swībaną
  11. Old Englishswīfan
  12. Old Englishswift
  13. Middle Englishswift
  14. Englishswift
  15. EnglishSwift
  16. Ancient Greekἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)
  17. Latinēlectrum
  18. New Latinēlectricus
  19. Englishelectric
  20. Proto-Indo-European*h₁reyp-
  21. Proto-Germanic*rīfaną
  22. Proto-Germanic*rīfilōną
  23. Proto-West Germanic*rīfilōn
  24. Frankish*rīffilōn
  25. Old Frenchrifler
  26. Middle Englishriflen
  27. Englishrifle
  28. EnglishTSER
  29. EnglishTaser
  30. English todaytaser

Acronym of the science fiction story Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. Coined in the early 1970s by the inventor Jack Cover originally as TSER, to which he later added the letter A to ease pronunciation. Genericization of the trademark Taser.

TASer · noun2

From TAS (“tool-assisted speedrun”) + -er.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.