Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
golliwogg or gol·li·wog [gol-ee-wog] ExamplesWord Origin noun (sometimes initial capital letter)
- a grotesque black doll.
- a grotesque person.
Origin of golliwogg First recorded in 1890–95; after the name of a doll in an illustrated series of children’s books by Bertha Upton (died 1912), U.S. writer, and Florence Upton (died 1922), illustrator Examples from the Web for golliwog Historical Examples of golliwog
She had left her golliwog in the room, and couldn’t sleep without it.
Alan Alexander Milne
Corona, after holding the Golliwog a moment in outstretched hands, strained it to her breast.
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
He proposed as she was wrapping up the fourth golliwog, and she gave him her heart and the parcel simultaneously.
P. G. Wodehouse
She saw and appreciated the odd, golliwog charm of wide-apart eyes under high arch of brow.
C. N. Williamson
“I do not like that Golliwog,” breathed Mrs. Jasher to her host, when Cockatoo was at the sideboard.
Fergus Hume
British Dictionary definitions for golliwog golliwog golliwogg noun
- a soft doll with a black face, usually made of cloth or rags
Word Origin for golliwog C19: from the name of a doll character in children’s books by Bertha Upton (died 1912), US writer, and Florence Upton (died 1922), US illustrator Word Origin and History for golliwog n.
“grotesque blackface doll,” 1895, coined by English children’s book author and illustrator Florence K. Upton (1873-1922), perhaps from golly + polliwog.