Etymograph

English

goo-goo

Goo-goo may come from Tagalog gago ‘idiot’.

  1. Tagalogmoderngago‘idiot’uncertain
  2. Englishtodaygoo-goo

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Tagalogmoderngago‘idiot’uncertain
  2. Englishtodaygoo-goo

first attested First attested circa 1899, in US military slang, probably from American soldiers during the Philippine-American War hearing Tagalog gago (“idiot; fool; simpleton”) and Tagalog gaga (“female idiot; female fool”) and considering it to sound like babbling (goo goo ga ga) (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested circa 1899, in US military slang, probably from American soldiers during the Philippine-American War hearing Tagalog gago (‘idiot; fool; simpleton’) and Tagalog gaga (‘female idiot; female fool’) and considering it to sound like babbling (goo goo ga ga). Possibly influenced by goo-goo eyes, which "was in vogue c. 1900 and may have contributed to this somehow" since early uses of goo-goo and gook refer specifically to prostitutes who followed army camps.

Every English word from Tagalog gago

Today it means

noun A Filipino person.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Tagalog gago / goo-goo

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