Origin of the word "Gizmo" (was Origin of the word "Tantrum")

[Jonathan Lighter]

Any new suggested etymologies for "gizmo/ gismo" ?  OED and HDAS are both at a loss.

  The OED entry (unlike another I might name) obscures the fact that the word first came to prominence in the U.S. naval services (perhaps especially in the Pacific) during WWII. It doesn't seem to appear in any pre-war glossaries of Annapolis slang, for example.

  I'd suggest looking at Chinese, Tagalog, or another Pacific Rim language.

  JL





"Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Douglas G. Wilson"
Subject: Re: Origin of the word "Tantrum"
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>Unknown?

Unknown to me anyway, and apparently to the modern dictionaries.

-- Doug Wilson


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