Toy
/tɔɪ/noun
A plaything or an object used for amusement.
Did you know?The English word *toy* likely came through a Middle English sense of “work, craft, or activity,” and only later narrowed to mean an object for play—showing how words can drift from labor to leisure.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
English
toi
“work, craft, or an activity; later, a trifle or plaything”
Middle English
English
toyen
“to play, trifle, or dally”
14th Century
English
toy
“a trifle, bauble, or frivolous object”
Modern English
English
toy
“a plaything, especially one for children”