toy
/tɔɪ/ noun, verb, adjective, proper noun
Forms toys toying toyed
- noun Something to play with, especially as intended for use by a child. “A grown man like him does not play with a child’s toy.”
- noun A thing of little importance or value; a trifle.
- noun A simple, light piece of music, written especially for the virginal.
- noun (obsolete) Love play, amorous dalliance; fondling.
- noun (obsolete) A vague fancy, a ridiculous idea or notion; a whim.
- noun (obsolete) An old story; a silly tale.
- noun (Scotland, archaic) A headdress of linen or wool that hangs down over the shoulders, worn by elderly women of the lower classes.
- noun (graffiti slang, derogatory) An inferior graffiti artist.
- verb (intransitive) To play (with) in an idle or desultory way. “to toy with a piece of food on one’s plate”
- verb (intransitive) To ponder or consider. “I have been toying with the idea of starting my own business.”
- verb (slang, transitive) To stimulate with a sex toy.
- adjective (chiefly attributive) Impractical or unsuitable for real-world use, due to being unrealistically small or simple.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
toy mutch bit anaconda baloney pony bald-headed hermit banana bird birdie bobby boonga cack choad choda chode chopper cigar cock corey crank cucumber plaything miniature toy dog dally play flirt fiddle diddle
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English toye (“amorous play, piece of fun or entertainment”), probably from Middle Dutch toy, tuyg (“tools, apparatus, utensil, ornament”) as in Dutch speel-tuig (“plaything, toy”), from Old Dutch *tiug, from Proto-West Germanic *tiugī̆, *teug, from Proto-Germanic *teugą (“stuff, matter, device, gear, lever”, literally “that which is drawn or pulled”), from Proto-Germanic *teuhaną (“to lead, bring, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull, lead”).
Cognate with Dutch tuig (“thing”), German Zeug (“stuff”), Danish tøj (“stuff”), Icelandic tygi, Norwegian tøy (“equipment, riggings, stuff”), Swedish tyg (“cloth, textile, fabric”). Related to tug, tow, taw, tew.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A plaything for children; a bawble. Cowper.
- noun A thing for amusement, but of no real value; an article of trade of little value; a trifle.
- verb To dally amorously; to trifle; to play.
- verb To treat foolishly. [Obs.] E. Dering (1576).
Etymology [D. tuid tools, implements, stuff, trash, speeltuig playthings, toys; akin to G. zeug stuff, materials, MNG. zuic, Icel. tygi gear; all ultimately from the root of E. tug, v.t.; cf.G. zeugen to beget, MHG.ziugen to beget, make ready, procure. See Tug, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “toy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details