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Origin and history of tootle

tootle(v.)

"toot gently and repeatedly," 1820, frequentative of toot (v.). Related: Tootled; tootling.

also from 1820

Entries linking to tootle

toot(v.)

c. 1500, in reference to horns, etc., "give a characteristic sound when blown," ultimately imitative. Compare Middle Low German and Low German tuten "blow a horn."

Transitive sense of "sound (a note, etc.) on a trumpet, horn, etc," is by 1610s; that of "blow" a wind instrument is by 1680s. Related: Tooted; tooting.

Tooting as a strong affirmative (as in you're damned tootin') is attested by 1932, American English (compare 19c. U.S. slang toot (n.) "a blow-out, a spree"). Reduplicated form rootin' tootin' "noisy, rambunctious" is recorded by 1924 and might suggest the sports-fan root (v.2).

toodle(v.)

"sing or hum in a low tone," by 1865, imitative, perhaps from or suggested by earlier toodle-loodle, a word imitative of the sound of pipes or flutes (1540s). Also compare tootle. Related: Toodled; toodling.

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    sound
    "noise, what is heard, sensation produced through the ear," late 13c., soun, from Old French son "sound, musical note, voice," from Latin sonus "sound, a noise," from PIE *swon-o-, from root *swen- "to sound." The unetymological -d was established c. 1350-1550 (see D). Sound-boar
    develop
    1650s, "unroll, unfold" (a sense now obsolete), from French développer. It replaced earlier English disvelop (1590s, from French desveloper); both French words are from Old French desveloper, desvoleper, desvoloper "unwrap, unfurl, unveil; reveal the meaning of, explain," from de
    ambiguous
    "of doubtful or uncertain nature, open to various interpretations," 1520s, from Latin ambiguus "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful," an adjective derived from ambigere "to dispute about, contend, debate," literally "to wander, go about, go around," figuratively
    translate
    early 14c., "to remove from one place to another," also "to turn from one language to another," from Old French translater and directly from Latin translatus "carried over," serving as past participle of transferre "to bring over, carry over" (see transfer), from trans "across, b
    turkey
    1540s, originally "guinea fowl" (Numida meleagris), a bird imported from Madagascar via Turkey, and called guinea fowl when brought by Portuguese traders from West Africa. The larger North American bird (Meleagris gallopavo) was domesticated by the Aztecs, introduced to Spain by
    social
    early 15c., "devoted to or relating to home life;" 1560s as "living with others," from French social (14c.) and directly from Latin socialis "of companionship, of allies; united, living with others; of marriage, conjugal," from socius "companion, ally," probably originally "follo
    zone
    late 14c., from Latin zona "geographical belt, celestial zone," from Greek zōnē "a belt, the girdle worn by women at the hips," from zōnnynai "to gird," from PIE root *yos- "to gird" (source also of Avestan yasta- "girt," Lithuanian juosiu, juosti "to gird," Old Church Slavonic p
    rapture
    c. 1600, "act of carrying off" as prey or plunder, from rapt + -ure, or else from French rapture, from Medieval Latin raptura "seizure, rape, kidnapping," from Latin raptus "a carrying off, abduction, snatching away; rape" (see rapt). The earliest attested use in English is with
    Zeus
    supreme god of the ancient Greeks and master of the others, 1706, from Greek, from PIE *dewos- "god" (source also of Latin deus "god," Old Persian daiva- "demon, evil god," Old Church Slavonic deivai, Sanskrit deva-), from root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god.
    stress
    c. 1300, stresse, "hardship, adversity; constraining or compelling force or pressure, coercion;" the original senses are mostly archaic or obsolete. The word is in part a shortening of distress (n.) and in part from Old French estrece "narrowness, oppression," from Vulgar Latin *

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