Gizmo Started as Navy Slang for Anything Nameless
A gizmo is a gadget whose name you cannot recall. The word came out of the American armed forces in the 1940s.
A gizmo is a gadget or device, especially one whose proper name escapes you. It came out of American navy and marine slang in the 1940s, and it belongs to a small English family of deliberately vague placeholder nouns: *thingamajig*, *whatsit*, *doodah*, *doohickey*, *widget*. Every one exists purely so a speaker can keep talking without the right word. The origin of *gizmo* itself is unknown, which is fitting.
- A gadget. *Some kitchen gizmo.*
- Gadget — the near-synonym. *A useful gadget.*
- Doohickey — an American equivalent. *A little doohickey.*
- Thingamajig — another placeholder. *That thingamajig.*
- Widget — used in economics and software too. *A widget.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gizmo | A clever gizmo. |
| Plural | gizmos | Two gizmos. |
| Variant | gismo | Also spelled gismo. |
| Synonym | gadget | A gadget. |
| Synonym | widget | A widget. |
- Some gizmo for opening jars.Device.
- The kitchen is full of gizmos.Plural.
- It entered use in the 1940s.History.
English placeholder words
- Gizmo, gadget, widget — for objects
- Thingamajig, thingummy, whatsit — when the name is forgotten
- Doodah, doohickey, whatchamacallit — the same job
- Whatshisname — for people
- Widget — also the standard economics example product
American armed forces slang, recorded from the 1940s, of unknown origin.
Where does gizmo come from?
American navy and marine slang of the 1940s. Its own origin is unknown.
Is a widget a real product?
No. It is the standard placeholder in economics textbooks for an unspecified manufactured item.