Etymology

tokay gecko

Today it means: A species of gecko native to Southeast Asia, Gekko gecko. Full definition →

Malay tokek
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The story

  1. Malay · borrowed fromtokek
  2. English todaytokay gecko

Borrowed from Malay tokek. First attested in 1753, ultimately of onomatopoeic origin and imitative of its mating call.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.