Etymology Map
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Derrick

3 stages from Dutch to English.

Today it means a crane for lifting heavy loads; the framework over an oil well

Where does the word "derrick" come from? It comes from Dutch Dirk / Diederik, passing through English before entering English (1720s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
Dirk / Diederik
Dutch · medieval
"a personal name"
Dutch forms of the Germanic name Theodoric, 'ruler of the people'
2
Stage 2 of 3
Derrick
English · 1601
"a hangman's name"
Thomas Derrick, convicted of rape after the 1596 raid on Cádiz, was pardoned by the Earl of Essex on condition he hang his fellow convicts; as hangman at Tyburn he later beheaded Essex himself in 1601
3
Stage 3 of 3
derrick
English · 1720s
"crane; oil-well tower"
his name passed to the gallows, then to gallows-like lifting cranes, and to the towers over oil wells from the 1860s
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Read the full story

Derrick’s story begins in Dutch: Dirk / Diederik meant “a personal name.” Dutch forms of the Germanic name Theodoric, 'ruler of the people'. By 1601, the word had taken hold in English as Derrick. Thomas Derrick, convicted of rape after the 1596 raid on Cádiz, was pardoned by the Earl of Essex on condition he hang his fellow convicts; as hangman at Tyburn he later beheaded Essex himself in 1601. It reached English by 1720s as derrick. His name passed to the gallows, then to gallows-like lifting cranes, and to the towers over oil wells from the 1860s. Today, derrick means a crane for lifting heavy loads; the framework over an oil well.