dude
Part of speech: noun
intj
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
birdwatching
natural-sciences
ornithology
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.
Inflected forms:
form: dudes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: dood
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: dewd
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: d00d
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: dood
pos: intj
tags: alternative
form: dewd
pos: intj
tags: alternative
form: d00d
pos: intj
tags: alternative
form: dudes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: dudeing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: duding
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: duded
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: duded
pos: verb
tags: past
form: dood
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: dewd
pos: verb
tags: alternative
form: d00d
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A man, generally a younger man.
pos: noun
tags: Canada
US
colloquial
examples: So we were at the mall and these two dudes just walk up to us and say "hi".
A very pretty little dudine of Fifth Avenue is much admired by the dudes in her neighborhood, and it has been observed on several occasions that she appeared to be able to discriminate between them, and not only shows a preference for one dude over another; but is able to recognize the dudes she likes after an interval of separation. It is said, also, that in accepting the attentions of her dude wooers, she shows a peculiar mimicry of the coquettish manners of human girls.
At first sight it may seem odd that the character-reader should in any case declare himself incapable of distinguishing sex in writing. […] The most prevalent reason for this probably lies in the so-called "emancipation of women," who, on aping the masculine pursuits and propensities, really acquire the virile tone of character. In a similar way the "dude" of the day becomes androgynous; and the result in one case is a masculine soul in a woman's shape, and in the other a feminine soul in the degraded form of the so-called "dude".
At first Europeans didn't realize what chocolate could be—poor guys! [Christopher] Columbus saw cacao beans in 1503, but he didn't have a clue. (No surprise—dude thought he was in India!)
Though the term "dude" originated as a term to describe a certain type of male, and then later to refer to men in general, today it is often used to refer to both genders, at least in certain parts of the United States. Dudeism doesn't recognize "dude" as a gender-specific word. We consider both women and men who exhibit dude-like qualities to be "dudes," and assert that the word "dude" can mean many different things depending on the context.
My grandpa fought in World War II
He was such a noble dude
I can’t even finish school
Missed my mom and left too soon
gloss: A term of address for someone, often but not exclusively a man, particularly when hailing, cautioning them or offering advice.
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
examples: Hey, dude, how's it going?
Dude, I'd be careful around the principal; he's having a bad day.
Watch it, dude; you almost knocked me over.
The session concluded as Josh, disgusted and surprised, yelled, "Dude, you hit like a girl!" The boys in auto shop drew on images of both femininity—"you hit like a girl"—and bisexuality—"I'll show you a switch hitter." (A bisexual man was often referred to as a "switch hitter" or as someone who "played for both teams.")
gloss: A tourist.
pos: noun
tags: slang
examples: Dudes are at least as entertaining as cows, even when they don't mean to be. A cow can’t voice that honestly curious question that turns a poor cowboy into a laughing fool the way a dude can. Probably nothing in the world can move a cowboy more than a newborn calf's clean, good looks and actions, unless it’s the look of awe on a little dude’s face the first time it sees a cowboy on a horse.
The "dudes" are the automobile and bus tourists, mere passers-through: thousands a summer day, millions a season. […] "Dude" expresses perfectly the image that seasonals from the stagecoach driver to the gas-pump jockey have had of tourists: soft, wealthy, uninitiated, ignorant, lowland and (preferably) eastern. […] For the average dude – if such a construct may be admitted – the park is an unusual commodity, financed by his taxes, from which he is therefore entitled to extract as much use and pleasure as he can from the rangers and seasonals who stand in his way.
"Dude" was originally a name for ranch vacationers with no disrespect attached, but it later became derisively associated with clueless easterners who knew nothing of Western ways, as portrayed by Bob Hope in Son of Paleface (1952). Junior's fiancé^([sic – meaning fiancée]) (Jane Russell) tells him to "go out West." When Junior (Bob Hope) wants to show that he has become a Westerner, he wears a tall outsized white hat like Tom Mix and white wooly chaps, the traditional movie outfit representing an eastern dude. A female dude was known as a "dudess" or "dudine."
gloss: A birder who has expensive clothing and equipment, but scant knowledge of birds, their fieldmarks, habits, etc.
pos: noun
tags: derogatory
examples: I am forever slagging off some poor harmless dude or pitiful demented twitcher[.]
gloss: A man who is very concerned about his dress and appearance; a dandy, a fop.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
examples: 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;
gloss: A term of address, usually for a man, conveying awe, excitement, surprise, annoyance, etc.
pos: intj
tags: slang
examples: 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.
gloss: To address someone as dude.
pos: verb
examples: "Where you been, Mac? I missed you! Dude—I mean, man," she corrects hastily, with a gamine grin, before I can make good on a threat I made in what feels like another lifetime that I would call her by her full name if she ever "duded" me again. […] Oh, yes, she's upset. She just unapologetically "duded" me.
The other two guys with him burst into laughter, dude'''ing and high-fiving like mad.
After the high fives comes a lot of dude-ing and hugging and I'm-so-happy-to-see-you-ing, and then the sugarcoating of seeing one another again sort of dissolves and we find ourselves in this dinky screening room thing under the eyes of our captors.
gloss: To take a vacation in a dude ranch.
pos: verb
examples: 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."
gloss: Usually followed by up: to dress up, to wear smart or special clothes.
pos: verb
tags: US
examples: 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.
"Speaking of being duded out …" He shrugged, then handed her the bag. "Here. This is for you." / She reached inside and gasped as she pulled out a white suede western style hat. A glittering gold braid encircled the brim. / "Oh, Zack! It's beautiful. Thank you."
"Ol' Clint's all duded up, too," Cully announced as Savannah opened the door to the only Culhane she had eyes for. "All duded up" meant Clint had on a pair of gray slacks that no Savile Row tailor could have made fit any better; a crisp, blindingly white Western dress shirt with pearl snaps down the front; and a black string tie held together with a small silver CC […]
1990, Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future Part III, screenplay:
Buford Tannen: Especially not some duded-up egg-sucking piece of gutter trash!
Derived words: cisdude
dude-bro
dudedom
dude food
Dudeism
Dudeist
dudeless
dudelet
dudely
dudeness
dude ranch
dudeship
dudess
dudette
dude up
dudevorce
dudey
dudical
dudine
dudish
everydude
Translations: