glitch

Where does the word "glitch" come from? It comes from Yiddish glitshn, and was adopted directly into English (1960s).

Glitch’s story begins in Yiddish: glitshn meant “to slide, slip.” Meaning "to slide" or "slip". It reached English by 1960s as glitch. Astronaut John Glenn described it in 1962 as a sudden power surge. Today, glitch means a small, temporary malfunction or error, especially in a machine or system.

1. Stage 1 · Yiddish · medieval glitshn "to slide, slip", meaning "to slide" or "slip".
2. Stage 2 · English · 1960s glitch "a minor malfunction or error", astronaut John Glenn described it in 1962 as a sudden power surge.