yo-yo

Where does the word "yo-yo" come from? It comes from Ilocano/Tagalog yoyo, and was adopted directly into English (1920s).

Yo-yo’s story begins in Ilocano/Tagalog: yoyo meant “a spooled string toy.” A traditional Filipino toy consisting of a spool on a string. It reached English by 1920s as yo-yo. Trademarked and popularized in the United States after being introduced from the Philippines. Today, yo-yo means a toy consisting of a spool that spins up and down a string.

1. Stage 1 · Ilocano/Tagalog · 1700s yoyo "a spooled string toy", a traditional Filipino toy consisting of a spool on a string.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1920s yo-yo "a spooled toy that spins up and down a string", trademarked and popularized in the United States after being introduced from the Philippines.