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The term '''"dude"''' is an [[American English]] [[slang word]] generally used informally to address a [[male]] individual. The word was once used primarily by adolescents but has become a common slang term used in various age groups. The word dudette is used to describe a [[female]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/DUDETTE | publisher=WordWeb Online | title=dudette | accessdate=2008-01-25}}</ref> individual. |
The term '''"dude"''' is an [[American English]] [[slang word]] generally used informally to address a [[male]] individual. The word was once used primarily by adolescents but has become a common slang term used in various age groups. The word dudette is used to describe a [[female]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/DUDETTE | publisher=WordWeb Online | title=dudette | accessdate=2008-01-25}}</ref> individual. |
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In [[formal|informal]] speech, dude is, under certain circumstances, gender-neutral.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} "Dude" may also be used alone in a sentence, serving as an exclamation; denoting a feeling of surprise, happiness, disappointment, amazement or other [[emotion]]s.<ref name= male>{{cite web | url =http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-dude.html | title =''"Dude"'', A man; a guy - The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2006| accessdate =2007-05-05 | publisher =©[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> The word might also be used practically anywhere in a sentence in order to convey such sentiments in conversation.The cadence, volume and length of the word is also used to denote the feeling such a clipped "dude" for irritation or a long "ddduuuudddeee" for amusement or surprise. |
In [[formal|informal]] speech, dude is, under certain circumstances, gender-neutral.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} "Dude" may also be used alone in a sentence, serving as an exclamation; denoting a feeling of surprise, happiness, disappointment, amazement or other [[emotion]]s.<ref name= male>{{cite web | url =http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-dude.html | title =''"Dude"'', A man; a guy - The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2006| accessdate =2007-05-05 | publisher =©[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> The word might also be used practically anywhere in a sentence in order to convey such sentiments in conversation.The cadence, volume and length of the word is also used to denote the feeling such as a clipped "dude" for irritation or a long "ddduuuudddeee" for amusement or surprise. |
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Other, older definitions of ''dude'' exist; a particularly well-dressed male or one who is unfamiliar with life outside a large city. These definitions may go hand-in-hand, hence the phrased definition "An Easterner in the West" (United States).<ref name= west>{{cite web | url =http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/dude | title =''"Dude"'', Def. 2 - The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary| accessdate =2007-05-08 | publisher =©[[Merriam-Webster]]}}</ref> |
Other, older definitions of ''dude'' exist; a particularly well-dressed male or one who is unfamiliar with life outside a large city. These definitions may go hand-in-hand, hence the phrased definition "An Easterner in the West" (United States).<ref name= west>{{cite web | url =http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/dude | title =''"Dude"'', Def. 2 - The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary| accessdate =2007-05-08 | publisher =©[[Merriam-Webster]]}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 18:35, 16 February 2008
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The term "dude" is an American English slang word generally used informally to address a male individual. The word was once used primarily by adolescents but has become a common slang term used in various age groups. The word dudette is used to describe a female[1] individual.
In informal speech, dude is, under certain circumstances, gender-neutral.[citation needed] "Dude" may also be used alone in a sentence, serving as an exclamation; denoting a feeling of surprise, happiness, disappointment, amazement or other emotions.[2] The word might also be used practically anywhere in a sentence in order to convey such sentiments in conversation.The cadence, volume and length of the word is also used to denote the feeling such as a clipped "dude" for irritation or a long "ddduuuudddeee" for amusement or surprise.
Other, older definitions of dude exist; a particularly well-dressed male or one who is unfamiliar with life outside a large city. These definitions may go hand-in-hand, hence the phrased definition "An Easterner in the West" (United States).[3]
Origins and common usage
Originally "dude" meant a city person in the country, with strong connotations of ignorance of rural ways. The word as used in contemporary culture, typically American, may have had its origins in the Irish [4], and indeed, dúd in modern Irish is a deragotory term for a foolish person [5]. The word is also found in German where "Dude" is slang for ‘pal’ [6]. Today in American English, the word may call to mind stereotypical members of late 1980s surfboard culture in coastal California. It is mainly used for men.
The word 'dude' was also popularized and prominently used in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The popular Aerosmith song Dude Looks Like a Lady solidified the gendering of "dude." Its cult status in popular culture was further commemorated in the Coen Brother's instant classic film "The Big Lebowski" 1998, as well as the long running TV sitcom "Friends". Ironically the TV sitcom was about young New Yorkers, but was produced in California - an area known for its surfer culture and the use of 'dude'.
Since the word dude is very casual and familiar, it may be considered awkward or rude to use the word to directly address someone with whom the speaker is unacquainted. Some may find the word inappropriate for acquaintances, who are not close friends, or even recommend against its use altogether. Variances in such attitudes and opinions are affected by social and geographical differences.
Dude, while commonly used to refer to males, may also be used to refer to females. Although there is a femininized version, dudette, it is rarely used in anything but a sardonic sense. It may be less likely for a female to be called dudette than to be called dude, though patterns of usage vary geographically and socially. Dude is also a term used to describe a city person. One example of this use is "Dude Ranches", ranches built in the western states of America for "Dudes", or city folk to experience "cowboy life". "Dude" was also used in the 1860s-1870s by cowboys to describe a newcomer to the West. Tombstone Sherriff John Slaughter was thought to be a "dude" when he first arrived in Tombstone. In the Howard Hawkes film "Rio Bravo" from 1959 one of the actors (Dean Martin) is called "Dude".
References
- ^ "dudette". WordWeb Online. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
- ^ ""Dude", A man; a guy - The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2006". ©Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
- ^ ""Dude", Def. 2 - The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". ©Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
- ^ How the Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads; Daniel Cassidy; CounterPunch Books and AK Press, 2007.
- ^ Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, Niall Ó Dónaill, An Gúm: BÁC. pp.459
- ^ http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/dude?view=uk
Similar terms
External links
- The Oxford Dictionary's Definition
- Dude - A paper submitted to American Speech.
- Dude, Where's My Dude? - Dudelicious Dissection, From Sontag to Spicoli
- Words@random: "dude"