Tuxedo: While Americans call it a… | etymologist.ai
tuxedo
/tʌkˈsiː.doʊ/·noun·1889·Established
Origin
Named after Tuxedo Park, NY, where it debuted in 1886; theplacename is Lenape for 'crooked river.'
Definition
A man's semiformal evening suit with a jacket having satin or grosgrain lapels.
The Full Story
Lenape (Algonquian)1889well-attested
Named after Tuxedo Park, a wealthy resort community in Orange County, New York, where the dinner jacket without tails was reportedly first worn at a formal ball in 1886. The placename 'Tuxedo' derives from the Lenape (Delaware) word 'p'tuck-sepo' (crooked river) or a related Munsee form referring to the local waterway. The garment was adapted from the British smoking jacket (itself designed
Did you know?
While Americans call it a 'tuxedo,' the British call it a 'dinner jacket.' Meanwhile, many European languages use the word 'smoking' (from 'smoking jacket'), so in French, Italian, German, and Spanish, asking for a 'smoking' gets you formalwear, not a cigarette.