Etymograph

English

dinges

Dinges comes from Dutch dinges ‘thing’, from Middle Dutch dinc ‘case, subject, what has been discussed’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tenkóm1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þingą2‘case, matter, issue’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þing2‘affair, matter’reconstructed
  4. Old Dutchc. 500–1150thinc2‘case, matter, issue’
  5. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500dinc2‘case, subject, what has been discussed’
  6. Dutchc. 1500–presentding3‘thing’
  7. Dutchc. 1500–presentdinges4‘thing’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1922dinges4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *þingą
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Dutch ding
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Dutch dinges
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English dinges
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1922, Sinclair Lewis, 10: “The old-fashioned coon was a fine old cuss--he knew…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tenkómWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *þingąreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þingąWiktionary, Dutch ding‘case, matter, issue’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þingWiktionary, Dutch ding‘affair, matter’reconstructed
  4. Old Dutchc. 500–1150thincWiktionary, Dutch ding‘case, matter, issue’
  5. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500dincWiktionary, Dutch ding‘case, subject, what has been discussed’
  6. Dutchc. 1500–presentdingWiktionary, Dutch dinges‘thing’
  7. Dutchc. 1500–presentdingesWiktionary, English dinges‘thing’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1922dingesWiktionary, English dinges. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1922, Sinclair Lewis, 10: “The old-fashioned coon was a fine old cuss--he knew…”

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *þingą ‘case, matter, issue’

anything

through Proto-West Germanic *þing ‘affair, matter’

thing, 1 more

through Dutch dinges ‘thing’

dingus

Today it means

noun —

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “dinges”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *þingą, Dutch ding, Dutch dinges. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tenkóm / dinges

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