the.com/toy
An object whose entire job is to be loved harder than its manufacturing cost suggests.
means A small object made or used mainly for play rather than practical work.
from Murky, and linguists admit it — English 'toy' shows up in the Middle Ages meaning something like 'amorous dalliance' or 'frivolous thing,' and only later narrowed down to 'plaything.' No solid cousin in another language has been pinned to it; the trail just goes cold somewhere behind the fun.
- oldest known
- Egyptian wooden paddle dolls, over 4000 years old
- etymology twist
- toy once meant flirtation, not object
- adult version
- same brain reward circuit, pricier packaging
- word shift
- gadgets now get called toys to sound fun