Dear Nautico,
This is a very mysterious word. The origin is contested, and there are
several versions:
" 1954, Amer.Eng. student slang, popularized 1993 during Clinton
administration in U.S.; perhaps a shortening of Brit. slang wonky
"shaky, unreliable" (1919), which perhaps is from Ger. wankel- or from
from surviving dialectal words based on O.E. wancol "shaky, tottering"
(see wench). Or perhaps a variant of Brit. slang wanker "masturbator."
It was earlier British naval slang for "midshipman" (1929)." (SOURCE:
Ethyonline, <http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=wonk>).
The best explanation is perhaps the one offered by WorldWideWords: "It
is first recorded, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, in an
article in Sports Illustrated in December 1962, though Fred Shapiro of
Yale Law School has turned up an example from Time in 1954. [...] The
clue to its origin may be in that article in Sports Illustrated, in
which it is explained that in Harvard slang there was a tripartite
classification of students into wonks, preppies, and jocks. It seems
that all three terms were around in the 1950s (jock possibly even
earlier) and that they have moved into mainstream use in the decades
since. The word was presumably taken to Washington by Harvard
graduates and formed the basis for the modern term policy wonk,
which?as you say?is where most of us encounter it. There it acquired
the meaning of ?a policy expert, especially one who takes an obsessive
interest in minor details of policy?, with a disparaging implication
of someone immersed in detail and out of touch with the real world."
(SOURCE: World Wide Words,
<http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pol1.htm>, which has several
interesting additions on its origins). Read Shapiro's post here:
"wonk" (notes by Fred Shapiro), The alt.usage.english FAQ
<http://www.yaelf.com/aueFAQ/mifwnkntsbyfrdshpr.shtml>
"Wonk" is not used only in connection with policy:
"This sober, well-ordered city - where John Calvin was laid to rest -
is also where the WTO is headquartered and where trade wonks get down
to serious business." From Cancun to Geneva; The Economist (London,
UK); Jul 30, 2004.
(SOURCE: A.Word.A.Day--wonk, Wordsmith.org,
<http://www.wordsmith.org/words/wonk.html>).
" It gained a wider exposure, for example, through being used in Erich
Segal?s Love Story of 1970: ?Who could Jenny be talking to that was
worth appropriating moments set aside for a date with me? Some musical
wonk??." (WordWideWords, op. cit.).
Q: Do you consider yourself to be a technical expert on the specific
technical aspects of commercial on-line services?
A: Not -- not as a computer wonk, if you will, but as a layperson,
technical understanding, yes. "
--William Burrington, assistant general counsel of America Online, in
response to questioning by Attorney General Janet Reno. (April 1,
1996)
(SOURCE: Wonk.com - Word Defined, <http://www.wonk.com/WonkDefined.html>).
Further explanations:
Word Detective
<http://www.word-detective.com/030698.html> - you'll have to scroll
down a little, or use the "search" feature of your browser to find it.
Fischer MA, Feinstein AR, "The etymology and pathogenesis of "wonk"."
Journal of Clinical Epidemiolgy. 1995 Aug;48(8):1089-90. - yes. Some
linguistic wonk has written an academic article on the subject. What
does it have to do with epidemiology? Only the editors (of that
journal) have the answer.
alt.usage.english - some wild explanations (note the Winnebago one!)
<http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.usage.english/browse_thread/thread/82db39d5cf92e041/1677a0cb45bf86fb?q=wonk&rnum=4#1677a0cb45bf86fb>
I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
clarification on this answer before you rate it. My search terms were:
wonk, etymology
Yours,
PG, a GA-wonk. |
