# Etymology of "ping" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161 "2013-03-06T06:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bababadalgharagh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@bababadalgharagh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bababadalgharagh)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/61 "2013-03-07T00:09:50Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:60, topic:652161”] Sorry, then. I misunderstood. I thought you were using Urban Dictionary as a citation for a discussion in GQ. [/QUOTE] Well, this whole thing is silly and has gone on too long, but to be clear it was a citation as a primary source of someone’s usage of the term and their understanding of it, which was part of the question. I did not mean it to be cited as an accurate secondary source on the etymology of the word (in fact, I claim that it is inaccurate), so apologies if that was not clear. ---
**Author:** ![bababadalgharagh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@bababadalgharagh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bababadalgharagh)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/62 "2013-03-07T00:20:40Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > But I could just go over to Urban Dictionary and add my own definition and then you would believe it as a second point of reference (the first one being my post here that you don’t believe). :smack: **Si Amigo** , if you would like to prove your case via Urban Dictionary, then I would suggest building a time machine, creating Urban Dictionary before the Internet existed (it can migrate to the Internet later), and ensuring that an entry describing usage like this is properly dated pre-1983 in an auditable way that survives until the present day 😛 Of course, I’m willing to lend some credence to your claim without written evidence, too, but are you actually serious? I’m actually quite curious. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/63 "2013-03-07T00:25:29Z")
> [@bababadalgharagh](#): > > Well, this whole thing is silly and has gone on too long… Agreed. And **Si Amigo** summed things up perfectly, so I’ll go ahead and bow out. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/64 "2013-03-07T00:27:20Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:60, topic:652161”] No, I don’t. I’ve tried using it a few times for slang, and the definitions tend to be all over the map. I think I’ve used it half a dozen times and only found a definition that made sense once. [/QUOTE] I find that weird. Can you show me an example? I use it regularly, and I’ve never seen it wrong on a well-rated definition. ---
**Author:** ![flano1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f14d63/32.png) [@flano1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flano1)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/65 "2013-03-07T01:24:07Z")
" We’ve been pinged, big time! " ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/66 "2013-03-07T01:45:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I find that weird. Can you show me an example? I use it regularly, and I’ve never seen it wrong on a well-rated definition. Off the top of my head, nothing comes to mind. Until this thread came along I hadn’t looked anything up there in at least a year, so I don’t remember any of the words. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/67 "2013-03-07T02:08:24Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > “Pushing the envelope” originated in aerospace engineering/flight testing. The “envelope” being the range of parameters it was safe to fly an aircraft in, and pushing it meant seeing where things really became unsafe, or deliberately operating beyond design parameters. > > A few years ago, this business book came out: [Pushing the Envelope: All The Way To The Top: Mackay, Harvey: 9780449006696: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Pushing-Envelope-All-Way-Top/dp/0449006697) > > The title and cover art make it pretty clear that the B-school types don’t appreciate the origional meaning: You are intended to stay inside the envelope, and pushing it is risky and stupid and to be done only by test pilots wearing parachutes. The B-school understanding seems to think it is something external, and pushing it means advancing it. Interesting. When I was an editor at a tech magazine, I watched how words get screwed around with by marketing types. I remember when 24/7 was used only in comp engineering(I think, I don’t know it’s etymology) and then it became keen and neato for business types to say. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/68 "2013-03-07T03:40:22Z")
Here are some terms that come to mind that I think originated as technical jargon: Growing exponentially - this used to have a precise meaning as something growing at a rate proportional to its value. It is now used devoid of any precise meaning. It simply means growing fast and the typical user has no idea what an exponential function is. Quantum leap - this has a precise meaning in quantum theory. It represents the smallest possible change, usually observable only with the most precise measurements. It has come to mean an enormous change, dissociated from the context of quantum theory. Flip-flop - this was a technical term for a particular form of one bit memory circuit, in which feedback is used to force the circuit to be bistable. With appropriate inputs it can be flipped between these two states. It is now used as a verb, to flip-flop, for example as a disparaging term for an opportunistic politician (is that redundant?) I don’t have any citations to prove that these all originated in a technical context. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/69 "2013-03-07T03:55:52Z")
[Flip-flop](http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=flip-flop&searchmode=none) in the sense of reversal of direction dates back to the early 1900s. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/70 "2013-03-07T04:19:18Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > . . . Quantum leap - this has a precise meaning in quantum theory. It represents the smallest possible change, usually observable only with the most precise measurements. It has come to mean an enormous change, dissociated from the context of quantum theory. That’s not the way I interpret it. As I see it, for example, an electron is in one orbital one moment. Then ba-BAM! it’s in another, without actually having traveled the distance between the orbitals. To me, that seems sudden, dramatic, and (on the subatomic level), a pretty damn far distance. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/71 "2013-03-07T05:16:50Z")
Interesting interpretations above on quantum leap, both by laymen (like me) from science trickle down_s_ (both with fast-and-loose science), with different metaphors taken advantage of, for opposite conclusions. Both valid, and you don’t even have to invoke the Humpty Dumpty clause. Etymology is hard. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/72 "2013-03-07T05:21:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > [Flip-flop](http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=flip-flop&searchmode=none) in the sense of reversal of direction dates back to the early 1900s. Thanks for bringing some facts to my idle speculation. Mainly I wanted to get the discussion off the topic of urban dictionary and get some more possible examples on the table. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/73 "2013-03-07T05:24:41Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > That’s not the way I interpret it. As I see it, for example, an electron is in one orbital one moment. Then ba-BAM! it’s in another, without actually having traveled the distance between the orbitals. To me, that seems sudden, dramatic, and (on the subatomic level), a pretty damn far distance. Yes, I understand that, and that is certainly valid, though I kind of like the irony of the other interpretation. Either way, it is beside the point of whether or not this is a bit of technical jargon that is now more commonly used by people with no connection to the original technical context. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/74 "2013-03-07T20:35:54Z")
A thread about the origin of the word ‘ping’ and yet no mention of the **internet = nerds = Monty Python** ’s _Meaning of Life_ **"the machine that goes _ping"_** connection?! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/75 "2013-03-07T20:48:07Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > A thread about the origin of the word ‘ping’ and yet no mention of the **internet = nerds = Monty Python** ’s _Meaning of Life_ **"the machine that goes _ping"_** connection?! See post #14. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/76 "2013-03-07T20:57:24Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > Quantum leap - this has a precise meaning in quantum theory. It represents the smallest possible change, usually observable only with the most precise measurements. It has come to mean an enormous change, dissociated from the context of quantum theory. Good grief. Again? “Quantum” is an old Latin word for “amount”. Julius Caesar never had atomic physics in mind when he used the word “quantum”. The Physics use of the term is the _fourth_ listing in my computer dictionary. If anything, using it to mean a tiny amount is the mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/77 "2013-03-07T23:10:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > See post #14. Ahh! Didn’t read every post, just did a quick CTRL F search for ‘monty’… ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/78 "2013-03-07T23:31:06Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Ahh! Didn’t read every post, just did a quick CTRL F search for ‘monty’… I _did_ read every post and missed that. I won’t click on unlabeled video links – especially at work. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/79 "2013-03-07T23:40:32Z")
Yeah I don’t click on blind link either. ---
**Author:** ![JWT\_Kottekoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@JWT\_Kottekoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JWT_Kottekoe)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161/80 "2013-03-08T05:26:02Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Good grief. Again? “Quantum” is an old Latin word for “amount”. . Of course it is, as should be obvious to anyone who has used the word “quantity”. I am not talking about that. The words quanta and quantum have a long history of use by physicists, dating back to at least the mid 19th century. Einstein used the term to describe his notion of quanta of light, which we now call photons. The term was later used by Max Born to describe the emerging field of quantum mechanics. I am talking about the phrase “quantum leap” or “quantum jump,” which according to the Online Etymological Dictionary is first recorded in 1955. I suspect it is actually older than that. It is standard terminology in physics, but has found its way into common parlance, disassociated from its technical context, which is what this thread is about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ping/652161.md?page=5)