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Yankee Doodle

name

Etymology

Mid-1700s, from Yankee ("derogatory, American colonist") doodle ("fool") dandy ("foppish or vain man"), the chorus of the eponymous song. Originally a derisive term and song about American colonists created by British regulars during the French and Indian War, from the alleged tendency for Americans to place feathers in their hats in imitation of the fashions of British aristocracy; the usage of dandy insinuated that Americans were low-class and lacked masculinity. The song was quickly reclaimed by Americans, who added verses mocking the British, and it came to prominence as a patriotic tune during the American Revolution. Doodle is likely from Low German dudel (“fool; one who plays music badly”). Yankee is of uncertain origin, but likely ultimately from Dutch Janke, a pet name. See Yankee.

  1. borrowed from Janke
  2. borrowed from dudel — “fool; one who plays music badly”

Definitions

  1. A song or nursery rhyme about colonial Americans, later adopted as a patriotic song of…

    A song or nursery rhyme about colonial Americans, later adopted as a patriotic song of the United States.

  2. A native or inhabitant of British America or, later, the United States.

  3. An American citizen born on the 4th of July.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for Yankee Doodle. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA