Etymology Map
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Quiz

2 stages from English to English.

Today it means a set of questions as a test or game

Where does the word "quiz" come from? It comes from English quiz, adopted directly into English (1867).

1
Stage 1 of 2
quiz
English · 1780s
"eccentric person; a hoax"
origin unknown, first meaning an odd or eccentric person; the story that Dublin theatre owner Richard Daly invented it for a bet in 1791 is a later legend
2
Stage 2 of 2
quiz
American English · 1867
"short test"
perhaps influenced by 'inquisitive'; US students used it from 1867 for an oral test, and radio quiz shows spread from the late 1930s
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Quiz’s story begins in English: quiz meant “eccentric person; a hoax.” Origin unknown, first meaning an odd or eccentric person; the story that Dublin theatre owner Richard Daly invented it for a bet in 1791 is a later legend. It reached English by 1867 as quiz. Perhaps influenced by 'inquisitive'; US students used it from 1867 for an oral test, and radio quiz shows spread from the late 1930s. Today, quiz means a set of questions as a test or game.