Dudes

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /duːdz/

Definitions

1. An informal way to refer to men or boys ; a casual expression for people in general
2. A slang term typically used to address or describe males ; a laid-back way of mentioning any group of people
3. A common informal label for male individuals ; a relaxed, everyday word used for persons regardless of gender

Etymology: In 1883, a New York City slang term of contempt for a fastidious man or fop was "dude," and its origin is still uncertain. The most cited candidate is "doodle," a word for a fool or simpleton, perhaps with a nod to the fashionable "Yankee Doodle dandy" of 18th-century song lyrics. Other suggestions link it to "dudes," an old word for rags, as in "duds," or to a scarecrow called a "dudesman," or to "dawdle," but none is proven. The popular story that "dude" comes from a camel's foreskin or some other crude object is false, and it can be set aside. The word's early sense was an insult aimed at a dandy, which is a long way from its modern use as a friendly term for a man. "Dudes" is simply the plural of "dude," so it means several men addressed or described in the same casual, slangy way.

Synonyms: guys, men, fellows, chaps

Antonyms: women