Jan 19, 2007 In British English, slang for a customer of a prostitute, or a customer of any business, the usage being primarily found in London and Essex. In both British English and Australian English punter is also used as a slang term for a gambler, particularly an amateur betting on horse racing.
- Where Does The Word Earth Come From
- Where Did Words Come From
- Other Words For Come From
- Discover Where Words Come From
Online Etymology Dictionary
This is a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English. Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago.
Where Does The Word Earth Come From
The dates beside a word indicate the earliest year for which there is a surviving written record of that word (in English, unless otherwise indicated). This should be taken as approximate, especially before about 1700, since a word may have been used in conversation for hundreds of years before it turns up in a manuscript that has had the good fortune to survive the centuries.
Where Did Words Come From
Other Words For Come From
The basic sources of this work are Weekley's 'An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English,' Klein's 'A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language,' 'Oxford English Dictionary' (second edition), 'Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology,' Holthausen's 'Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Englischen Sprache,' and Kipfer and Chapman's 'Dictionary of American Slang.'A full list of print sources used in this compilation can be found here.
Discover Where Words Come From
Since this dictionary went up, it has benefited from the suggestions of dozens of people I have never met, from around the world. Tremendous thanks and appreciation to all of you.