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Added 10 October 2026

dingbat

/ˈdɪŋbæt/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dingbat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A silly, crazy or stupid person.
A special ornamental typographical symbol, such as a bullet, an arrow, a pointing hand etc.
An architectural style of apartment building, where the second storey overhangs an area for parking cars.

Origin

Unknown, US mid 19th century. The word-puzzle sense comes from the board game Dingbats, which is based on these puzzles. In the sense of a miscellaneous gadget, probably influenced by dingus or its etyma.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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