entry
squid
/skwɪd/ten-armed marine cephalopod mollusk
From English squid (name of uncertain origin).
Word Ancestry
This is one of those seafaring words that feels like it ought to have a tidy pedigree, and then refuses to cooperate. The likeliest story is that sailors bent or joked on squirt, because a squid can blast out a cloud of ink like a tiny black smoke bomb. That makes it a cousin of the language of spurts, jets, and little sudden eruptions, even if the exact family tree is fuzzy. By the 1600s the word was already in English, while naturalists were still trying to decide whether these animals were monsters, fish, or just sea oddities with too many arms. The best way to remember it is this: a squid is what happens when the ocean gets sarcastic and throws ink.
The Story
This is one of those seafaring words that feels like it ought to have a tidy pedigree, and then refuses to cooperate. The likeliest story is that sailors bent or joked on squirt, because a squid can blast out a cloud of ink like a tiny black smoke bomb. That makes it a cousin of the language of spurts, jets, and little sudden eruptions, even if the exact family tree is fuzzy. By the 1600s the word was already in English, while naturalists were still trying to decide whether these animals were monsters, fish, or just sea oddities with too many arms. The best way to remember it is this: a squid is what happens when the ocean gets sarcastic and throws ink.
Modern Usage
a foolish or uncool person; in some usage, a reckless motorcyclist
Popularized by: informal English slang and online usage
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries using squid as an insult or for reckless riders
Kin & Kindred
From 'squid'·name of uncertain origin, probably sailor-made
Derived Terms
English words from this root