This word first described men—especially Northeasterners—with a penchant for fashion, worldliness, and foreign fare. It also boasts a curious connection to “macaronic language.”
Hey dude! Ever wonder about the origin of the word “dude”?
This word is first recorded in the late 1800s as a word for a man who is foppish and fastidious, meaning he’s tidy, fancy and cultured.
Dudes at this time were reflective of the “aesthetic” movement of the late 19th century, which championed pure beauty and “art for art’s sake.”
And many of the men that fell into this stereotype were high-society city dwellers who lived in the American Northeast—that is, they were Yankees.
In fact, the word “dude” is thought to have originally been a shortening of “Yankee Doodle.” In the original, British-penned lyrics of the song, which were written to poke fun at Americaan troops during the French and Indian War, you’ll note that Yankee Doodle is described as a dandy who is a fabulous dancer and wears a dashing feather in his cap. The term doodle is thought to be from a German word meaning “fool” or “simpleton” (though this sense is unrelated to that seen in “labradoodle” and the like, which is a rebracketing from “poodle”).
Thus, “dude” wasn’t exactly a flattering term in its early years.
Speaking of which, Yankee Doodle “call[s] it macaroni” because “macaroni” was also used as a term for men whose luxurious lifestyles involved wearing the latest and most outlandish styles and enjoying fancy foreign foods—including macaroni. Written from a British perspective, the pre-Revolutionary “Yankee Doodle Dandy” originally poked fun at American soldiers who were portrayed as having more concern for their outfits and accessories than their skills on the battlefield.
A group of fashionable young fellows in the 1700s, often represented as sporting the enormous Macaroni wig, were known as the Macaroni Club, famous for reveling and indulging in foreign goods and apparel. Beyond the towering wig, think of fine, Rococo garments in snug sizes and flamboyant colors, dainty footwear, and tassels galore. Many historians consider them to be emblematic of wealthy British queer culture of the era, in part due to its association with 18th-century styles of the French aristocracy, which were considered effeminate by many in both Britain and the Americas.
Due to stigma surrounding these gentlemen’s lifestyles, “macaroni” could also be used as a pejorative term along with words such as “fop” and “dandy” for men whose styles blended cultural influences and often challenged gender norms.
Macaronic language similarly describes expressions that blend languages. The term was coined in the 15th century to describe verse and terminology that blended Latin and English or Latin and another more common language.
The name of both the culture and the verse were likely influenced by a popular, late 15th-century satiric poem (and other macaronic works) by poet Tifi Odasi called “Macaronea.” Its name is from that of a type of dumpling or pasta (maccerone, a word that would later inspire the name of the noodle) that people of lower classes ate, implying a—to the wealthier classes—vulgar but humorous blending of a common language (Italian) and Latin, which used by more educated classes in academic and scientific settings or frequently, in verse.
And you know that little song and dance, the Macarena, that blends Spanish and English? Same idea.
But the term “macaroni language” was also extended to any blending of language, to the point where most hybrid words—those from different languages and language families—can termed “macaroni words.”
Anyway, back to “dude,” which emerged in the century following the Macaroni style.
In the early 1900s, “dudes” from the Northeast started vacationing in the American West—and the resorts where these city slickers stayed for the “authentic” Western experience were called dude ranches.
The way we use term “dude” today—as a word for any guy or even as a gender-neutral term—is thanks to 1960s slang from Black American communities, which then got picked up by students at universities in California, and then across the country and beyond.
I was recently interviewed about this word by the New York Times and have since contributed insights to more editions of the same column, called “Words Through the Times.” Read more here.
Useless Etymology 