Talk:polka dot

Etymology

From what root does polka dot derive? Could it be the Indo-European peig-- or peik-—to mark by incising (which founded such words as English paint) by way of the Greek ποικίλοις—spotted, pied, many-colored, motley, variegated, diverse, complex, manifold, elaborately-worked—as in the Stoa Poikile where Zeno of Citium taught and founded Stoicism? Mpulier 12:48, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

• It appears to be named from the dance (in the 1880s) - for no particular reason other than that the dance was popular, and many fashion products took the name. SemperBlotto 12:52, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

I thought the same thing (related to poikilos) when I learned that term (via poikilotherm), but Semper is correct, it’s from the dance (attested 1871).

I’ve added etyl, ref, and quote.

—Nils von Barth (nbarth) (talk) 11:13, 8 May 2011 (UTC)