tuxedo

Where does the word "tuxedo" come from? It comes from Lenape (Munsee) p'tuksit, passing through English before entering English (1880s).

Tuxedo’s story begins in Lenape (Munsee): p'tuksit meant “a place name in what is now New York State.” A Delaware Algonquian place name, possibly meaning 'crooked river' or referencing a wolf clan. By 1800s, the word had taken hold in English as Tuxedo. Anglicized as the name of Tuxedo Park, an exclusive New York country club community. It reached English by 1880s as tuxedo. Named after Tuxedo Park, where the informal dinner jacket was first worn to a club event. Today, tuxedo means a formal men's suit with a black jacket, typically worn to evening events.

1. Stage 1 · Lenape (Munsee) · pre-1700s p'tuksit "a place name in what is now New York State", a Delaware Algonquian place name, possibly meaning 'crooked river' or referencing a wolf clan.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s Tuxedo "a place name in New York", anglicized as the name of Tuxedo Park, an exclusive New York country club community.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1880s tuxedo "a formal dinner jacket or suit", named after Tuxedo Park, where the informal dinner jacket was first worn to a club event.