doohickey
UK[ˈduːhɪki]US[ˈduːhɪki]
n
a small object or gadget, especially one whose name the speaker does not know or cannot recall
Etymology
The word 'doohickey' is a quintessential example of a placeholder noun in American English, emerging around 1914. It belongs to a whimsical family of similar words like 'thingamajig,' 'whatchamacallit,' and 'gizmo,' all created to fill a lexical gap when the precise name for an object is forgotten or unknown. The first element, 'doo,' is a common nonsense prefix in such formations, while 'hickey' was contemporaneous slang for a gadget or contrivance. Its evolution reflects a linguistic need for a casual, slightly humorous term to refer to an unspecified small mechanical item, showcasing how language creatively generates new words from playful sounds rather than classical roots.
Analysis
This is a fanciful, playful formation from the early 20th century, not derived from classical roots. It is a compound of the nonsense syllables "doo" and "hickey," which was itself a slang term for an object or gadget.
Examples
Can you hand me that little doohickey next to the screwdriver?
The contraption was full of wires and strange doohickeys.
I need to tighten this with the metal doohickey that came in the box.