The word dude originated as a Victorian slang word for a man who was effeminate.
It’s a variation of dud or duds, from the Arabic word “dudde”, which means cloak, and was a reference to fancy or foppish clothes.
When vain, fashion-conscious city slickers wanted a taste of the West, they went to a Dude Ranch.
The term dude was kept alive by California surfers and took on its current fellowship meaning from a generation weaned on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
