Dude

Hey dudes! Where does this word come from, anyway?
 
The origins of the word dude are unknown, perhaps from New York City slang of the late 19th century or perhaps a shortening from the song “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy” referring to a foppish or over-fastidious male.
 
The first references to dude are from 1883 when the word ‘dudeism’ was defined as “the dress, manners, and social peculiarities of the class known as dudes” (Century Dictionary).
 
Here is a lovely quote from a scholarly journal published in July 1883 describing a dude:
 
“The dude possesses in his outward appearance and bearing all the attributes of a gentleman, excepting, perhaps, that of manliness. His dress is unostentatious in its perfection, its only loud notes being a pair of white gaiters, which are believed to be going out already in obedience to the unwritten code of dudeism. Why the dude feels any interest in life is not clear—he does not look as if he enjoyed it. There is a certain introspective earnestness in his bearing that reminds one of the theological student, and perhaps the prevailing high collar strengthens the resemblance” (Phrenological Journal, July 1883).
In sum, in its origins, the word dude was used to mean an overly fastidious or foppish man.
 
The word was also used in reference to the so-called ‘aesthetic’ craze at that time and was often applied to city slickers; i.e., Eastern US vacationers visiting the Western US. A female dude was known as a dudine (1883) or as a dudess (1885). The term ‘dude ranch’ (a ranch which entertains guests and tourists for pay) is from 1921.
 
The term dudette (a woman or girl), from surfer and teen slang, is from 1991.
 
The term dude, in reference to any male, is first seen in 1966 as part of African-American vernacular.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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