Etymology

Attested since the 1780s, of unknownCategory:English terms with unknown etymologies#QUIZ origin.

• The Century Dictionary suggests it was originally applied to a popular toy, from a dialectal variant of whiz.
• The Random House Dictionary suggests the original sense was "odd person" (circa 1780).
• Others suggest the meaning "hoax" was original (1796), shifting to the meaning "interrogate" (1847) under the influence of question and inquisitive.
• Some say without evidence it was invented by a late-18th-century Dublin theatre proprietor who bet he could add a new nonsense word to the English language; he had the word painted on walls all over the city, and the morning after, everyone was talking about it (The Pre-Victorian Drama in Dublin ).
• Others suggest it was originally quies (1847), Latin qui es? (who are you?), traditionally the first question in oral Latin exams. They suggest that it was first used as a noun from 1867, and the spelling quiz first recorded in 1886, but this is demonstrably incorrect.
• A further derivation, assuming that the original sense is "good, ingenuous, harmless man, overly conventional, pedantic, rule-bound man, square; nerd; oddball, eccentric",^[1] is based on a column from 1785 which claims that the origin is a jocular translation of the Horace quotation vir bonus est quis as "the good man is a quiz" at Cambridge.^[2]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwɪz/, [kʰw̥ɪz]Category:English 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:English terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

  Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#QUIZ
• Rhymes: -ɪzCategory:Rhymes:English/ɪz#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:English/ɪz/1 syllable#QUIZ

Noun

quiz (plural quizzes)Category:English lemmas#QUIZCategory:English nouns#QUIZCategory:English countable nouns#QUIZCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. (datedCategory:English dated terms#QUIZ) An odd, puzzling or absurd person or thing.
   • 1796, Fanny Burney, Camilla: or, A picture of youth, by the author of Evelina, page 99:

     I've always heard he was a quiz, says another, or a quoz, or some such word ; but I did not know he was such a book-worm.

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

   • 1833, Maria Edgeworth, Moral Tales, volume 1, page 204:

     I tell you I am going to the music shop. I trust to your honour. Lord Rawson, I know, will call me a fool for trusting to the honour of a quiz.

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

     Category:Quotation templates to be cleaned
   • 1803, Jane Austen, chapter 7, in Northanger Abbey‎, published 1816:

     Where did you get that quiz of a hat? It makes you look like an old witch.

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

   • 1850, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis‎:

     “I’m afraid you’re a sad quiz,” said Mrs. Bungay. ¶ “Quiz! never made a joke in my—hullo! who’s here? How d’ye do, Pendennis?

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

2. (datedCategory:English dated terms#QUIZ) One who questions or interrogates; a prying person.
3. A competition in the answering of questions.

   We came second in the pub quiz.Category:English terms with usage examples#QUIZ

   • 1997, Jennifer Coates, “The construction of a collaborative floor in women’s friendly talk”, in Talmy Givón, editor, Conversation: Cognitive, Communicative and Social Perspectives, page 72:

     Once all six friends are clear that the topic of Janet's story is a pub quiz, we launch into talk around this topic, combining factual information about quizzes we have participated in with fantasies about becoming a team ourselves.

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

4. (educationCategory:en:Education#QUIZ) A school examination of less importance, or of greater brevity, than others given in the same course.
   • 2015 May 18, Matt Farrell, Shannon Maheu, “Why open-book tests deserve a place in your courses”, in Faculty Focus‎:

     For many it is hard to envision a scenario where a student completes an online quiz (or test) without using their smartphone, tablet, or other device to look up the answers, or ‘share’ those answers with other students.

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

Verb

quiz (third-person singular simple present quizzes, present participle quizzing, simple past and past participle quizzed)Category:English lemmas#QUIZCategory:English verbs#QUIZCategory:English entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#QUIZ, archaicCategory:English terms with archaic senses#QUIZ) To hoax; to chaff or mock with pretended seriousness of discourse; to make sport of, as by obscure questions.
   • 1850, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis‎:

     he quizzed unmercifully all the men in the room—

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

   • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

     'Now, Puddock, back him up—encourage your man,' said Devereux, who took a perverse pleasure in joking; 'tell him to flay the lump, splat him, divide him, and cut him in two pieces—'
     It was a custom of the corps to quiz Puddock about his cookery […]

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

2. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#QUIZ, archaicCategory:English terms with archaic senses#QUIZ) To peer at; to eye suspiciously or mockingly.
3. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#QUIZ) To question (someone) closely, to interrogate.

   He quizzed the suspect for around half an hour.Category:English terms with usage examples#QUIZ

   • 2023 August 31, “What's on in the Lords 4-7 September”, in UK Parliament‎:

     This week members return to the chamber to quiz the government on the Zimbabwe election, teacher shortages, backlog of asylum applications and improving the system for dementia diagnosis.

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

   • 2026 March 18, Peter Plisner, “Will devolution deliver real local control?”, in RAIL, number 1057, page 47:

     Rail Minister Lord Hendy was quizzed by the same MPs at an earlier hearing. He maintained that the Bill gave Mayors "much enhanced power" and preserved the existing processes by which rail services can be devolved. "The intention, more widely, is to work collaboratively with all devolved leaders to meet local needs," he said. "It has to be tempered by the reality, which is that the railway network is not generally consistent with mayoral boundaries. […] ".

     Category:English terms with quotations#QUIZ

4. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#QUIZ) To instruct (someone) by means of a quiz.
5. (transitiveCategory:English transitive verbs#QUIZ, obsoleteCategory:English terms with obsolete senses#QUIZ, rareCategory:English terms with rare senses#QUIZ) To play with a quiz. (Can we add an example for this sense?)Category:Requests for example sentences in English#QUIZ

References

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “quiz”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Danish terms borrowed from English#QUIZCategory:Danish terms derived from English#QUIZ quiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kvis/, [kʰvis]Category:Danish terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ
• Homophone: quiz'Category:Danish terms with homophones#QUIZ

Noun

quiz c (singular definite quizzen, plural indefinite quizzer)Category:Danish lemmas#QUIZCategory:Danish nouns#QUIZCategory:Danish terms spelled with Q#QUIZCategory:Danish terms spelled with Z#QUIZCategory:Danish entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Danish common-gender nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. quiz (competition in the answering of questions)

Alternative forms

• kwis

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Dutch terms borrowed from English#QUIZCategory:Dutch terms derived from English#QUIZ quiz

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʋɪs/Category:Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:Dutch terms with audio pronunciation#QUIZ
• Rhymes: -ɪsCategory:Rhymes:Dutch/ɪs#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:Dutch/ɪs/1 syllable#QUIZ

Noun

quiz m (plural quizzen, diminutive quizje n)Category:Dutch lemmas#QUIZCategory:Dutch nouns#QUIZCategory:Dutch nouns with plural in -en#QUIZCategory:Dutch entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Dutch masculine nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. quiz

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwiz/Category:French 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:French terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

  Category:French terms with audio pronunciation#QUIZ

Noun

quiz m (uncountable)Category:French lemmas#QUIZCategory:French nouns#QUIZCategory:French uncountable nouns#QUIZCategory:French entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:French masculine nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. quiz

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwit͡s/^*Category:Italian 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:Italian terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ
• Rhymes: -itsCategory:Rhymes:Italian/its#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:Italian/its/1 syllable#QUIZ
• Hyphenation: quìz

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:Italian terms with audio pronunciation#QUIZ

Noun

quiz m (invariable)Category:Italian lemmas#QUIZCategory:Italian nouns#QUIZCategory:Italian countable nouns#QUIZCategory:Italian indeclinable nouns#QUIZCategory:Italian entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Italian masculine nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. quiz

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Norman terms borrowed from English#QUIZCategory:Norman terms derived from English#QUIZ quiz.

Noun

quiz m (plural quizs)Category:Norman lemmas#QUIZCategory:Norman nouns#QUIZCategory:Norman entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Norman masculine nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. (JerseyCategory:Jersey Norman#QUIZ) quiz

Alternative forms

• kwiz

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from EnglishCategory:Polish terms borrowed from English#QUIZCategory:Polish unadapted borrowings from English#QUIZCategory:Polish terms derived from English#QUIZ quiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwis/Category:Polish 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:Polish terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:Polish terms with audio pronunciation#QUIZ
• Rhymes: -isCategory:Rhymes:Polish/is#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:Polish/is/1 syllable#QUIZ
• Syllabification: quiz

Noun

quiz m inanCategory:Polish lemmas#QUIZCategory:Polish nouns#QUIZCategory:Polish terms spelled with Q#QUIZCategory:Polish entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Polish masculine nouns#QUIZCategory:Polish inanimate nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. quiz (competition in the answering of questions)

   Synonym: zgaduj-zgadula

Further reading

• “quiz”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎ (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “quiz”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎ (in Polish)

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from EnglishCategory:Portuguese terms borrowed from English#QUIZCategory:Portuguese unadapted borrowings from English#QUIZCategory:Portuguese terms derived from English#QUIZ quiz.

Etymology 2

Further reading

• “quiz”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from EnglishCategory:Spanish terms borrowed from English#QUIZCategory:Spanish unadapted borrowings from English#QUIZCategory:Spanish terms derived from English#QUIZ quiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwis/ [ˈkwis]Category:Spanish 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ
  • Rhymes: -isCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/is#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/is/1 syllable#QUIZ
• IPA^(key): /ˈkiθ/ [ˈkiθ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)Category:Spanish 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ
• IPA^(key): /ˈkis/ [ˈkis] (Latin America, Philippines)Category:Spanish 1-syllable words#QUIZCategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#QUIZ
  • Rhymes: -iθ (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)Category:Rhymes:Spanish/iθ#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/iθ/1 syllable#QUIZ
  • Rhymes: -is (Latin America, Philippines)Category:Rhymes:Spanish/is#QUIZCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/is/1 syllable#QUIZ
  • Syllabification: quiz

Noun

quiz m (plural quizzes)Category:Spanish lemmas#QUIZCategory:Spanish nouns#QUIZCategory:Spanish countable nouns#QUIZCategory:Spanish entries with incorrect language header#QUIZCategory:Spanish masculine nouns#QUIZCategory:Pages with entries#QUIZCategory:Pages with 9 entries#QUIZ

1. (televisionCategory:es:Television#QUIZ) quiz show

Further reading

• “quiz”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010