quiz

See also: Quiz and quiz'

English

Etymology

Attested since the 1780s, of unknown origin.

• The Century Dictionary suggests it was originally applied to a popular toy, from a dialectal variant of whiz.
• The Random House Dictionary suggests the original sense was "odd person" (circa 1780).
• Others suggest the meaning "hoax" was original (1796), shifting to the meaning "interrogate" (1847) under the influence of question and inquisitive.
• Some say without evidence it was invented by a late-18th-century Dublin theatre proprietor who bet he could add a new nonsense word to the English language; he had the word painted on walls all over the city, and the morning after, everyone was talking about it (The Pre-Victorian Drama in Dublin ).
• Others suggest it was originally quies (1847), Latin qui es? (who are you?), traditionally the first question in oral Latin exams. They suggest that it was first used as a noun from 1867, and the spelling quiz first recorded in 1886, but this is demonstrably incorrect.
• A further derivation, assuming that the original sense is "good, ingenuous, harmless man, overly conventional, pedantic, rule-bound man, square; nerd; oddball, eccentric", is based on a column from 1785 which claims that the origin is a jocular translation of the Horace quotation vir bonus est quis as "the good man is a quiz" at Cambridge.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwɪz/, [kʰw̥ɪz]

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪz

Noun

quiz (plural quizzes)

1. (dated) An odd, puzzling or absurd person or thing.
   • 1796, Fanny Burney, Camilla: or, A picture of youth, by the author of Evelina, page 99:

     I've always heard he was a quiz, says another, or a quoz, or some such word ; but I did not know he was such a book-worm.

   • 1833, Maria Edgeworth, Moral Tales, volume 1, page 204:

     I tell you I am going to the music shop. I trust to your honour. Lord Rawson, I know, will call me a fool for trusting to the honour of a quiz.

   • 1803, Jane Austen, chapter 7, in Northanger Abbey‎^[1], published 1816:

     Where did you get that quiz of a hat? It makes you look like an old witch.

   • 1850, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis‎^[2]:

     “I’m afraid you’re a sad quiz,” said Mrs. Bungay. ¶ “Quiz! never made a joke in my—hullo! who’s here? How d’ye do, Pendennis?

2. (dated) One who questions or interrogates; a prying person.
3. A competition in the answering of questions.

   We came second in the pub quiz.

   • 1997, Jennifer Coates, “The construction of a collaborative floor in women’s friendly talk”, in Talmy Givón, editor, Conversation: Cognitive, Communicative and Social Perspectives, page 72:

     Once all six friends are clear that the topic of Janet's story is a pub quiz, we launch into talk around this topic, combining factual information about quizzes we have participated in with fantasies about becoming a team ourselves.

4. (education) A school examination of less importance, or of greater brevity, than others given in the same course.
   • 2015 May 18, Matt Farrell, Shannon Maheu, “Why open-book tests deserve a place in your courses”, in Faculty Focus‎^[3]:

     For many it is hard to envision a scenario where a student completes an online quiz (or test) without using their smartphone, tablet, or other device to look up the answers, or ‘share’ those answers with other students.

Derived terms

• cryptoquiz
• minefield quiz
• pop quiz
• pub quiz
• quest
• quisby
• quizbook
• quiz bowl
• quiz kid
• quizlet
• quizlike
• quizmaster
• quizmistress
• quizzacious
• quizzee
• quizzer
• quizzery
• quizzical
• quizzicle
• quizzification
• quizzify
• quizzish
• quizzism
• quizzy
• requiz
• squizz

Descendants

• → Danish: quiz
• → Dutch: quiz, kwis
• → German: Quiz
• → Hungarian: kvíz
• → Indonesian: kuis
• → Japanese: クイズ (kuizu)
• → Korean: 퀴즈 (kwijeu)
• → Malay: kuiz
• → Norman: quiz
• → Norwegian Bokmål: quiz, kviss
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: quiz, kviss
• → Polish: kwiz, quiz
• → Portuguese: quiz
• → Spanish: quiz
• → Swedish: quiz
• → Welsh: cwis

Translations

competition in the answering of questions — see also trivia

• Afrikaans: vasvrawedstryd,
• Arabic: اِخْتِبَار (ar) m (iḵtibār)
• Armenian: վիկտորինա (hy) (viktorina)
• Azerbaijani: viktorina
• Belarusian: віктары́на (be) f (viktarýna)
• Bulgarian: виктори́на f (viktorína), куи́з m (kuíz)
• Burmese: ဉာဏ်စမ်း (my) (nyancam:)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 測驗 / 测验 (zh) (cèyàn), 競猜 / 竞猜 (zh) (jìngcāi)

• Czech: kvíz m
• Danish: spørgekonkurrence c, quiz (da) c
• Dutch: kwis (nl), quiz (nl)
• Esperanto: kvizo
• Estonian: mälumäng, viktoriin
• Faroese: spurnakapping f
• Finnish: tietovisa (fi), tietokilpailu (fi)
• French: quiz (fr) m
• Georgian: ვიქტორინა (vikṭorina), ქვიზი (kvizi), გამოკითხვა (gamoḳitxva)
• German: Ratespiel (de) n, Fragespiel n, Quiz (de) n
• Hebrew: חִידוֹן (he) m (ḥidón)
• Hindi: क्विज़ (kviz), प्रश्नोत्तरी f (praśnottarī)
• Hungarian: kvíz (hu)
• Indonesian: kuis (id)
• Italian: quiz (it) m
• Japanese: クイズ (ja) (kuizu)
• Kazakh: викторина (viktorina)
• Korean: 퀴즈 (ko) (kwijeu)
• Kyrgyz: викторина (viktorina)
• Latvian: viktorīna (lv) f
• Lithuanian: viktorina f
• Macedonian: квиз m (kviz)
• Malay: duga akal, kuiz (ms)
• Maltese: kwiżż
• Māori: kēmu patapatai
• Norman: quiz m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: gjettekonkurranse, spørrelek, kviss

  Nynorsk: spørjeleik m, kviss m

• Persian: کوئیز (ku'iz)
• Polish: turniej (pl) m inan, quiz (pl) m, kwiz (pl) m
• Portuguese: quiz (pt) m
• Russian: виктори́на (ru) f (viktorína), квиз (ru) m (kviz)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кви̑з m

  Latin: kvȋz (sh) m

• Slovak: kvíz m
• Slovene: kviz m
• Spanish: prueba (es) f, cuestionario (es) m, examen (es) m, test (es) m
• Swedish: frågesport (sv) c, frågespel n, kviss n
• Tajik: викторина (viktorina)
• Turkish: bilgi yarışması
• Turkmen: wiktorina
• Ukrainian: віктори́на f (viktorýna)
• Uzbek: viktorina (uz)
• Vietnamese: đố vui
• Welsh: cwis

a school examination of less importance — see also midterm,‎ exam,‎ test

• Bulgarian: тест (bg) m (test), контро́лно (bg) n (kontrólno)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 小測 / 小测 (siu² cak¹)

  Mandarin: 小考 (zh) (xiǎokǎo)

• Faroese: roynd f
• Finnish: välikoe (fi)
• Galician: control (gl) m
• Hungarian: röpdolgozat (hu)
• Indonesian: kuis (id)
• Japanese: 小テスト (shō tesuto)
• Macedonian: тест (mk) m (test)
• Malay: kuiz (ms)
• Polish: kartkówka (pl) f
• Russian: (коро́ткий) тест (ru) m (tɛst), контро́льная рабо́та f (kontrólʹnaja rabóta)
• Spanish: prueba (es) f, pruebita f, quiz m
• Tagalog: pagsusulit (tl)
• Vietnamese: (bài) thi

Verb

quiz (third-person singular simple present quizzes, present participle quizzing, simple past and past participle quizzed)

1. (transitive, archaic) To hoax; to chaff or mock with pretended seriousness of discourse; to make sport of, as by obscure questions.
   • 1850, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis‎^[4]:

     he quizzed unmercifully all the men in the room—

   • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

     'Now, Puddock, back him up—encourage your man,' said Devereux, who took a perverse pleasure in joking; 'tell him to flay the lump, splat him, divide him, and cut him in two pieces—'
     It was a custom of the corps to quiz Puddock about his cookery […]

2. (transitive, archaic) To peer at; to eye suspiciously or mockingly.
3. (transitive) To question (someone) closely, to interrogate.

   He quizzed the suspect for around half an hour.

   • 2023 August 31, “What's on in the Lords 4-7 September”, in UK Parliament‎^[5]:

     This week members return to the chamber to quiz the government on the Zimbabwe election, teacher shortages, backlog of asylum applications and improving the system for dementia diagnosis.

   • 2026 March 18, Peter Plisner, “Will devolution deliver real local control?”, in RAIL, number 1057, page 47:

     Rail Minister Lord Hendy was quizzed by the same MPs at an earlier hearing. He maintained that the Bill gave Mayors "much enhanced power" and preserved the existing processes by which rail services can be devolved. "The intention, more widely, is to work collaboratively with all devolved leaders to meet local needs," he said. "It has to be tempered by the reality, which is that the railway network is not generally consistent with mayoral boundaries. […] ".

4. (transitive) To instruct (someone) by means of a quiz.
5. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To play with a quiz. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

• quizzable

Translations

hoax

• Bulgarian: шегувам се (šeguvam se)
• Macedonian: се ше́гува (se šéguva)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шалити се

  Latin: šaliti se (sh)

• Spanish: engañar (es)

interrogate

• Bulgarian: изпитвам (bg) (izpitvam), разпитвам (bg) (razpitvam)
• Cebuano: tuki
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 询问 (zh) (xúnwèn)

• Georgian: გამოკითხვა (gamoḳitxva), დაკითხვა (daḳitxva)
• German: ausfragen (de)
• Macedonian: пра́шува (prášuva), и́спраша (íspraša), и́спита (íspita)
• Māori: pākiki
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: испитивати

  Latin: ispitivati (sh)

• Spanish: probar (es), examinar (es), interrogar (es), testear (es)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: صورمق (sormak)

• Ukrainian: опитування (opytuvannja)

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “quiz”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English quiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kvis/, [kʰvis]
• Homophone: quiz'

Noun

quiz c (singular definite quizzen, plural indefinite quizzer)

1. quiz (competition in the answering of questions)

Inflection

Declension of quiz

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	quiz	quizzen	quizzer	quizzerne
genitive	quiz'	quizzens	quizzers	quizzernes

Related terms

• quizze ("to quiz")

Dutch

Alternative forms

• kwis

Etymology

Borrowed from English quiz

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʋɪs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪs

Noun

quiz m (plural quizzen, diminutive quizje n)

1. quiz

Derived terms

• quizzen

Related terms

• pubquiz

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kwiz/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

quiz m (uncountable)

1. quiz

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwit͡s/^*
• Rhymes: -its
• Hyphenation: quìz

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

quiz m (invariable)

1. quiz

Derived terms

• telequiz

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English quiz.

Noun

quiz m (plural quizs)

1. (Jersey) quiz

Polish

Alternative forms

• kwiz

Etymology

Etymology tree

English quizubor.

Polish quiz

Unadapted borrowing from English quiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwis/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -is
• Syllabification: quiz

Noun

quiz m inan

1. quiz (competition in the answering of questions)

   Synonym: zgaduj-zgadula

Declension

Declension of quiz

	singular	plural
nominative	quiz	quizy
genitive	quizu	quizów
dative	quizowi	quizom
accusative	quiz	quizy
instrumental	quizem	quizami
locative	quizie	quizach
vocative	quizie	quizy

Derived terms

adjective

• quizowy

Further reading

• “quiz”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[6] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “quiz”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[7] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from English quiz.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkwis/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkwis/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈkwiʃ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkwi.zɨ/

Noun

quiz m (plural quizzes or quizes)

1. quiz (question-answering competition)

Etymology 2

Verb

quiz

1. obsolete spelling of quis

Further reading

• “quiz”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English quiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwis/ [ˈkwis]
  • Rhymes: -is
• IPA^(key): /ˈkiθ/ [ˈkiθ] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /ˈkis/ [ˈkis] (Latin America, Philippines)
  • Rhymes: -iθ (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
  • Rhymes: -is (Latin America, Philippines)
  • Syllabification: quiz

Noun

quiz m (plural quizzes)

1. (television) quiz show

Usage notes

• According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “quiz”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010