Thunk Is a Joke Past Tense and a Real Computing Term
Thunk is a humorous past form of think, and a genuine term in programming for a delayed computation.
Thunk is a jocular past tense of *think*, formed on the pattern of *sink, sank, sunk*. It also has a serious technical life: in computing a *thunk* is a small piece of code that delays a calculation until its result is needed. The name is said to come from a 1961 discussion where the problem had already been *thought* about, so the solution had already been *thunk*. A third sense is simply the sound of a dull impact.
- A joke past of think. *Who would have thunk it.*
- A delayed computation. *A thunk in the code.*
- A dull sound. *It landed with a thunk.*
- Lazy evaluation — the related idea. *Lazy evaluation.*
- Non-standard. *Deliberately incorrect.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | thunk | A thunk. |
| Plural | thunks | Thunks. |
| Joke past | thunk | Who'd have thunk. |
| Standard past | thought | Thought. |
| Coined | 1961 | In computing. |
- Who would have thunk it.Humorous.
- The thunk defers the calculation.Computing.
- The lid closed with a thunk.Sound.
Joke past tenses in English
- Thunk — for thought, on the model of sunk
- Brung — for brought, on the model of sung
- Snuck — for sneaked, now largely accepted in America
- Dove — for dived, likewise standard in America
- All follow the pattern of strong verbs like sing, sang, sung
A humorous formation from *think*, modelled on verbs like *sink, sank, sunk*. The computing sense dates from 1961.
Is thunk a real word?
As a past tense of think it is deliberately non-standard and humorous. In computing it is a genuine technical term.
What is a thunk in programming?
A small piece of code that delays a computation until its result is actually needed.