whim

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 261 words | Copyright

whim
A. †pun, play on words; †fanciful creation; odd fancy XVII; machine for raising ore, etc. from a mine XVIII. of unkn. orig. Synonyms are (1) whims(e)y XVII, whence whimsical XVII, and (2) whim-wham XVI, redupl. formation with vowel-variation.

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T. F. HOAD. "whim." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "whim." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-whim.html

T. F. HOAD. "whim." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-whim.html

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