jig

The origin of "jig" is unknown. One proposed source is Middle English "gyge" ("fiddle"), from Old French "gigue," but the link and how the meaning shifted are unclear.

Modern French "gigue," meaning a type of dance, was actually borrowed back from English "jig" rather than the other way around.

The word may connect, in an uncertain way, to the racial slur "jigaboo," which some say derives from "jig" in the sense of "dance," though its own origin is also uncertain.