this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
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Fun fact: folk etymologies are always lies.
I've also heard that 'gringo' derives from people telling green-clad soldiers to go away (green, go)
I've heard that 'fuck' is an acronym for 'fornication under consent of the king'
All nonsense of course.
Not all etymologies are lies, words do have origins.
Just because you heard some stories which were false doesn't mean all stories are false.
On this wiki page it is explained that linguistics do believe the word Yankee comes from Jan Kees or Jan Kaas. It explains it can also come from the name Janneke, which is a new to me.