Humvee
/ˈhʌm.viː/noun
A high-mobility military vehicle officially designated the HMMWV.
Did you know?“Humvee” began as a spoken rendering of the initials HMMWV, while the civilian Hummer version later transformed a military vehicle into a luxury status symbol.
Etymological Timeline
1970s
English
HMMWV
“U.S. military abbreviation for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle”
1980–1983
English
HMMWV
“The designation used for the vehicle developed for the U.S. Army’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle program”
1980s
English
Humvee
“Informal spoken nickname formed by pronouncing the initials HMMWV”
1991
English
Humvee
“Nickname widely popularized through televised coverage of the Gulf War”
1992
English
Hummer
“Civilian version and brand name derived from the military Humvee”
Modern English
English
Humvee
“A military high-mobility vehicle, especially the AM General HMMWV”