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Shrek

The origin and history of Shrek.

Etymology

From the ogre character Shrek, created by author William Steig for his 1990 picture book and made globally famous by the DreamWorks film franchise; the name itself comes from the Yiddish word for "fright."

Origin: Yiddish · First attested 1990

Class of 1990

Shrek first entered the language around 1990. Other words from the same year:

See the full Class of 1990 →
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Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.