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dude

noun
/duːd/US/d(j)uːd/UK/ɖ(j)uɖ/

Etymology

Uncertain, though likely a clipping of doodle (“fool, simpleton, mindless person”), perhaps with reference to the fashionable “Yankee Doodle dandy” in the 18th-century lyrics of the song “Yankee Doodle”; the word is first attested in 1883 as a New York City slang term of contempt for a “fastidious man, fop”. If so, then related to German Low German Dudeldop, Dudendop (“fool, dunce”), Saterland Frisian Duddigegen (“idiot”). It has also been suggested that the word is derived from dudes (“old rags”; compare duds) and dudesman (“scarecrow”), or possibly related to dawdle; It has also been suggested the word derives from the Irish dúid. The common claim that the term derives from (or is) a word for a camel's foreskin (or some other vulgar thing, like a hair on a cow, horse, donkey, or elephant's bottom) is false.

  1. derived from dúid
  2. derived from Duddigegen — “idiot”

Definitions

  1. A man, generally a younger man.

    • So we were at the mall and these two dudes just walk up to us and say "hi".

  2. A term of address for someone, typically a man, particularly when cautioning them or…

    A term of address for someone, typically a man, particularly when cautioning them or offering advice.

    • Dude, I'd be careful around the principal; he's having a bad day.
    • Watch it, dude; you almost knocked me over.

  3. A tourist.

  4. ›+ 6 more definitions

    1. A birder who has expensive clothing and equipment, but scant knowledge of birds, their…

      A birder who has expensive clothing and equipment, but scant knowledge of birds, their fieldmarks, habits, etc.

      • I am forever slagging off some poor harmless dude or pitiful demented twitcher[.]

    2. A man who is very concerned about his dress and appearance

      A man who is very concerned about his dress and appearance; a dandy, a fop.

      • When the dude dons gloves couleur de chien jaune éclairé de la lune—
      • There are three kinds of dudes in New York. There is the inanimate rich dude who don't want to do a thing on earth but exhibit himself. Then there is the poor dude, who dresses like the rich dude, and who wants to marry a rich girl […]
      • He is the dandy or dude: the wealthy waster who makes a weak villain for so many American novels. Paul Tarrant seemed to have nothing whatever to do but change his clothes, which he did about six times a day;

    3. A term of address, usually for a man, conveying awe, excitement, surprise, annoyance, etc.

      • Dude! You finally called!
      • And, feckin' A, you ain't never gonna guess this one—dude! […] Thinking this is a little worse than me watching porn. Dude.

    4. To address someone as dude.

      • The other two guys with him burst into laughter, dude'''ing and high-fiving like mad.

    5. To take a vacation in a dude ranch.

      • The Old Hearst Ranch […] is one of the West's largest and most elaborate dude ranches and includes over 500 acres of woodland trails. There's "dudeing" with all the trimmings, excellent food and rooms at the lodge or individual cabanas.
      • I am certainly interested in this "dude community" business just because I have tried it in the slightest kind of way. In camping it's "the fewer the better," but in "dudeing" it may be "the more the merrier."

    6. Usually followed by up

      Usually followed by up: to dress up, to wear smart or special clothes.

      • It seemed that the fellas couldn't get enough girlin' and racing fast cars and grooving to rock and dudeing around in city-slick suits from St. Louis.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for dude. 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