• (British) IPA: /ˈdɪldəʊ/, [ˈdɪɫdəʊ]
• (America) IPA: /ˈdɪldoʊ/, [ˈdɪɫdoʊ]

dildo (plural dildos)

1. An artificial phallus (penis) for sexual use.
2. (pejorative) An idiot, a bore.
   • 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, →OCLC ↗, section I, page 15 ↗:

     ‘Thompson?’ Heydon-Bayley had shrieked. ‘But he’s a complete dildo, surely?’ ¶ ‘I like him,’ said Adrian, ‘he’s unusual.’ ¶ ‘Graceless, you mean. Wooden.’

3. (pejorative, vulgar, slang) Any device or implement.
4. A columnar cactus of the West Indies (Pilosocereus royenii).

• French: godemichet, gode, phallus artificiel, olisbos, dildo, miché, michet
• German: Dildo, Plastikschwanz
• Italian: dildo, vibratore
• Portuguese: dildo, consolo (Brazil)
• Russian: фаллоимита́тор
• Spanish: consolador, dildo

dildo (dildoes, present participle dildoing; simple past and past participle dildoed)

1. (transitive) To penetrate with a dildo or with another object as if it were a dildo.

Related to other nonsense syllables like dido and diddle(-diddle), which similarly developed sexual senses. Found since at least the 1500s, often in contexts where allusion is being made to the sexual sense (above). Possibly influenced by Middle English dildoun, early modern English dildin (“sweetheart”); compare Old Norse dilla, dillindo ("lullaby").

1. (obsolete) A burden: a phrase or theme that recurs at the end of a verse of a folk song.
   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene iv]:

     He hath songs for man or woman, of all sizes; […] with such delicate burthens of dildos and fadings,

   • c. 1600, Thomas Morley, Will You Buy a Fine Dog?:

     Will you buy a fine dog, with a hole in his head?
     With a dildo, dildo, dildo; […]

   • c. 1600-1636, William Sampson, The Vow Breaker:

     oh Vrsula, Vrsula pity me with a dildo, dildo, dillory?

1. A small town on the island of Newfoundland.