Whats the history of the word "dude"?

Question

as in "whats up dude"

Answer 1

Traditionally a dude is a vole; a man who dresses flashily. But in recent years, the term has taken on a colloquial meaning at variance with that: it now means a male friend, mate, comrade, or associate. It can also be used as an informal form of address when the speaker does not know the name of the person that he or she is speaking to. A dudette or a Dudie is a female friend, comrade, or associate, although increasingly, "dude" is being used as a gender-neutral address. Formerly, the word was associated with Western movies. The new usage entered the mainstream from California surfer slang from at least 1968, referenced in the movie Easy Rider, and today is strongly associated with Generation X.

Scott F. Kiesling, a linguist from the University of Pittsburgh, states in a 2003 scholarly paper published in American Speech that "the term is used mainly in situations in which a speaker takes a stance of solidarity or camaraderie, but crucially in a nonchalant, not-too-enthusiastic manner ... The reason young men use this term is precisely that dude indexes this stance of cool solidarity. Such a stance is especially valuable for young men as they navigate cultural discourses of young masculinity, which simultaneously demand masculine solidarity, strict heterosexuality, and non-conformity."

In the 1960s and 1970s, the term "dude" was a popular part of black slang (not to be confused with Ebonics) that was used by both males and females in referring to a male or males. The term was used in some black "ghetto" or "street" novels of that era. "Dude" was frequently used by black characters in 1970s TV shows, which included "Good Times" and "Sanford and Son." In many 1970s black films, the term was often used; for example, in the film "Blacula," the title character was referred to as "the big dude."

Fake etymology of the word suggests that this slang term originally came from a term that meant a camel's penis or an infected hair on an elephant's buttocks. The origins of these myths are unknown.

Answer 2

One day a rocker saw something cool and he said, "Dude!" It is important to remember it was a rocker who invented the term. "What's up to you too, dude"

Answer 3

A person from the planet Doode.