whimsy (English)

Where does "whimsy" come from?

The word 'whimsy' is formed by the addition of the suffix '-y' to the noun 'whims'[1]. This noun is itself a clipping of the term 'whim-wham'[2]. While the precise origin of 'whim-wham' remains uncertain, it likely serves as a fanciful reduplication or a sound-symbolic construction with potential roots in North Germanic languages[3].

Open questions

• The derivation of whimsy from whims is marked as probable rather than certain. [1]
• The exact origin of the base term whim-wham is considered uncertain. [3]

Full etymology tree

• whimsy (English), 'Synonym of whimsical.'
  • derived whim (English), 'A fanciful impulse, or sudden change of idea.'
    • clipping whim-wham (English), 'A whimsical object; a trinket.'
  • suffix -y (English), 'Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”.'

Ancestors

• whim (English)
• -y (English)

Sources

1. whimsy (English) - Wiktionary
2. whim (English) - Wiktionary
3. whim-wham (English) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris