English
vibrator
Vibrator comes from Latin vibrō ‘to vibrate’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *weyp- ‘to oscillate, swing’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyp-‘to oscillate, swing’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvibrō‘to vibrate’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900vibrātor
- Englishearliest quotation 1988vibrator
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyp-‘to oscillate, swing’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvibrō‘to vibrate’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900vibrātor
- Englishearliest quotation 1988vibrator
Earliest quotation: 1988, Wendy Goldman, Judy Toll: “Mmm. I'm sick of my ‘Mighty Intruder’ vibrator with…”
Equivalent to vibrate + -or
Proto-Indo-European *weyp- ‘to oscillate, swing’
Latin vibrō ‘to agitate, set in tremulous motion’
Latin vibrātus
Middle English vibrat(e) ‘reverberant’
English vibrate
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyp- ‘to oscillate, swing’
Today it means
noun A vibrating device used for massage or sexual stimulation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyp- / vibrator