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The term dude is an American English slang word generally used informally to address a male individual. The word was once used primarily by young adults but has become a common slang term used in various age groups. The female equivalent is dudette.

In informal speech, dude is, under certain circumstances, gender-neutral. "Dude" may also be used alone in a sentence, serving as an exclamation, denoting a feeling of surprise, happiness, disappointment, amazement or other emotions. The word might also be used practically anywhere in a sentence in order to convey such sentiments in conversation. The cadence, volume and length of the word is also used to denote the feeling, such as a clipped "dude" for irritation, or a long "duuude" for amusement, surprise, or wonder.

Other, older definitions of dude exist; a particularly well-dressed male or one who is unfamiliar with life outside a large city. These definitions may go hand-in-hand, hence the phrased definition "An Easterner in the West" (United States).

Origins and common usage

Originally "dude" meant a city person in the country, with strong connotations of ignorance of rural ways. The word as used in contemporary culture, typically American, may have had its origins in the Irish , and indeed, dúd in modern Irish is a derogatory term for a foolish person .

One example of this use is "Dude Ranches", ranches built in the western states of America for "Dudes", or city folk to experience "cowboy life". "Dude" was also used in the 1860s-1870s by cowboys to describe a newcomer to the West. Tombstone Sherriff John Slaughter was thought to be a "dude" when he first arrived in Tombstone. In the Howard Hawks film "Rio Bravo" from 1959 one of the actors (Dean Martin) is called "Dude".

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External links

• The Compact Oxford English Dictionary's Definition
• Dude - By Kiesling, Scott F., Published in American Speech, Vol. 79, No. 3, Fall 2004, pp. 281-305
• You've Come a Long Way, Dude: A History, By Richard A. Hill, American Speech, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Autumn, 1994), pp. 321-327
• Dude, Where's My Dude? - Dudelicious Dissection, From Sontag to Spicoli, New York Observer
• Words@random: "dude"

References

1. l "Dude". The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-05. A man; a guy {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
2. ""Dude", Def. 2 - The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary". ©Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
3. How the Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads; Daniel Cassidy; CounterPunch Books and AK Press, 2007.
4. Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, Niall Ó Dónaill, An Gúm: BÁC. pp.459

• Men
• Slang