wiener

¹

[ wee-ner ]

noun

1. frankfurter.
2. Vienna sausage.

Wiener

²

[ wee-ner ]

noun

1. Norbert, 1894–1964, U.S. mathematician: pioneer in cybernetics.

wiener

¹

/ ˈwiːnəˌwɜːst; ˈwiːnə /

noun

1. a kind of smoked beef or pork sausage, similar to a frankfurter Also calledwienieweenieˈwiːnɪ

Wiener

²

/ ˈwiːnə /

noun

1. WienerNorbert18941964MUSSCIENCE: mathematician Norbert (ˈnɔːbət). 1894–1964, US mathematician, who developed the concept of cybernetics

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiener¹

1865–70, Americanism; < German, short for Wiener Wurst Viennese sausage

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiener¹

C20: shortened from German Wiener Wurst Viennese sausage

Example Sentences

In the film version of “Robot Dreams,” the background characters, all anthropomorphized animals, have distinct looks: a lion with a boombox, a wiener dog selling franks and some mischievous rabbits.

From Los Angeles Times

Those dog days of April — when the Philly weather is cold and the wieners are a steal — are going, going, gone.

From Seattle Times

Instead, they viewed him with contempt for being such a wiener.

From Salon

Our food writer convened a panel to embark on the “Great Seattle hot dog taste test,” sampling five different wieners.

From Seattle Times

Even wiener jokes, though, are freighted with the weight of history.

From New York Times

About This Word

What does wiener mean?

A wiener is a type of sausage. Wiener is also used as slang for “penis” and as a mild insult for someone seen as weak and awkward.

Where does wiener come from?

The word wiener, often misspelled as weiner, entered English around 1865–70, shortened from the German phrase Wiener Wurst, which roughly translates to “Vienna sausage.” Wiener literally means “of Vienna” and is pronounced like [ vee-nuh ]  in German. There is some debate about whether the sausages were invented in Vienna, Austria, or in Frankfurt, Germany, but it’s generally agreed that they traveled to the United States with German immigrants. Hot dogs are sometimes called wieners or weiner dogs today, and in Rhode Island, they are referred to as hot wieners.

Due to their phallic appearance, it didn’t take long for the word wiener to become a slang reference to the penis. By the early 1900s, when hot dogs had become a popular food in the U.S., English speakers were already using wiener as a euphemistic or childish slang term for the penis.

As a slang term, it can also be used as an insult for someone, usually a young man, seen as wimpy and awkward—like the slang dork.

The dachshund breed of dogs are often called wiener dogs due to their sausagelike shape. Similarly, hot dogs themselves are sometimes called dachshund sandwiches.

How is wiener used in real life?

Some adults (especially parents) and children will use wiener in speech and writing as a euphemistic substitute for the penis.

Calling a person a wiener or weenie (i.e., a wimp or dork) can be considered mildly offensive. Calling a hotdog a wiener, while it still has some currency, may cause some confusion—or snickers. Dachshunds, however, commonly go by wiener dog; a 2016 film about the breed was even titled this.

Keep in mind that Wiener (and Weiner) are also common surnames.

More examples of wiener:

“’Please tell me you don’t already have a little wiener,’ she says as she hands him a small hot dog, stunning him into momentary silence.”

—Tia (The Bachelor contestant), quoted by Lauren Piester, December 2017