Dunk Came Into English From Pennsylvania German
To dunk is to dip food into a drink. Basketball later borrowed the word for its most spectacular shot.
To dunk is to dip something, especially food into a drink. The word entered American English from Pennsylvania German *dunke*, to dip, and spread nationally in the 1920s. Basketball adopted it later for a shot pushed down through the hoop, the ball dipped into the net like a biscuit into tea. The *slam dunk* was banned in American college basketball from 1967 to 1976, a rule widely understood at the time as aimed at one dominant player.
- To dip in liquid. *Dunk the biscuit.*
- A basketball shot. *A slam dunk.*
- A certainty. *A slam dunk case.*
- To push underwater. *Dunked in the pool.*
- Pennsylvania German — *dunke*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | dunk | Dunking. |
| Noun | dunk | A dunk. |
| Past | dunked | Dunked. |
| Compound | slam dunk | A slam dunk. |
| German | tunken | To dip. |
- He dunked a biscuit in his tea.Food.
- She dunked over two defenders.Basketball.
- The case was a slam dunk.Figurative.
German words in American English
- Dunk — from Pennsylvania German *dunke*, to dip
- Spook — from Dutch and German, a ghost
- Hex — from *Hexe*, a witch
- Ouch — from *autsch*
- Dumb meaning stupid — influenced by German *dumm*
Pennsylvania German *dunke*, to dip, from German *tunken*, recorded in wider American use from the 1910s.
Where does dunk come from?
Pennsylvania German dunke, meaning to dip. It spread into general American English in the 1920s.
Was the slam dunk ever banned?
Yes. American college basketball prohibited it from 1967 to 1976.