English
shill
Shill may come from German Schieber ‘black marketeer, profiteer’.
- Germanc. 1650–presentSchieber‘black marketeer, profiteer’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1983shill
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentSchieber‘black marketeer, profiteer’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1983shill
Earliest quotation: 1983, Robert Anton Wilson: “Witnesses have testified that Jim Jones (like a few…”
first attested There are some suggestions that it originates in the surname Shilaber or Shillibeer, especially George Shillibeer, but proposed origins are dubious as the word is first attested in North America in the 20th century, while proposed models are 19th century British (as stated in the etymology)
The story
Unknown; attested as verb 1914, as noun 1916.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain. Perhaps an abbreviation of shillaber, attested 1913. The word entered English via carny, originally denoting a carnival worker who pretends to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction. Speculatively an extended form of German Schieber (‘black marketeer, profiteer’) via *shi-la-ber.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-
through Proto-West Germanic *skeuban ‘to push, to drive’
Today it means
noun A person paid to endorse a product while pretending to be impartial.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Schieber / shill