John Doe en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Books that documented and taught the legal profession in England were using the names John Smith, John Doe, Richard Roe, and others as generic placeholder names (for roles, such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, etc) by the mid-seventeenth century (perhaps earlier). Compare also Tommy Atkins. Though the rationale behind the choices of Doe and Roe is unknown, there are many suggested folk etymologies. Other fictitious names for a person involved in litigation in medieval English law were "John Noakes" (or "Nokes") and "John-a-Stiles" (or "John Stiles"). The Oxford English Dictionary states that John Doe is "the name given to the fictitious lessee of the plaintiff, in the (now obsolete in the UK) mixed action of ejectment, the fictitious defendant being called Richard Roe".
Meanings
- (US) Any unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Does | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
what's-his-name · you-know-who · so-and-so
Translations (50)
vi Nguyễn Văn A (any unknown or anonymous male person) · yue 某 (any unknown or anonymous male person) · eo Sinjoro Ajnulo (any unknown or anonymous male person) · de Otto Normalverbraucher (any unknown or anonymous male person) · sh Nepoznati Netko (any unknown or anonymous male person) · fr Tartempion (any unknown or anonymous male person) · de Max Mustermann (any unknown or anonymous male person) · es Fulano (any unknown or anonymous male person) · az Filankəs Filankəsov (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ms mat (any unknown or anonymous male person) · es Mengano (any unknown or anonymous male person) · fi Matti Meikäläinen (any unknown or anonymous male person) · tr sarı çizmeli Mehmet Ağa (any unknown or anonymous male person) · fr Jean Dupont (any unknown or anonymous male person) · it Mario Rossi (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ar فُلان الْفُلانِيّ (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ru имяре́к (any unknown or anonymous male person) · cmn 佚名 (any unknown or anonymous male person) · it Pinco Pallino (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ja ほげ (any unknown or anonymous male person) · pl Kowalski (any unknown or anonymous male person) · pt fulano (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ar فُلان (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ary فلان بن فلان (any unknown or anonymous male person) · pl Jan Kowalski (any unknown or anonymous male person) · he פלוני (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ru Иван Иванович Иванов (any unknown or anonymous male person) · is Jón Jónsson (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ro Xulescu (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ru Вася Пупкин (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ja 権兵衛 (any unknown or anonymous male person) · yi משה גרויס (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ms Si Fulan (any unknown or anonymous male person) · fr Untel (any unknown or anonymous male person) · es Zutano (any unknown or anonymous male person) · mk Петар Петровски (any unknown or anonymous male person) · cmn 某甲 (any unknown or anonymous male person) · no Ola Nordmann (any unknown or anonymous male person) · gl Fulano (any unknown or anonymous male person) · gl Xan (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ary فلان (any unknown or anonymous male person) · fr Unetelle (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ga Seán Ó Rudaí (any unknown or anonymous male person) · hu Gipsz Jakab (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ar فُلان اِبْن فُلان (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ja だれだれ (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ro Domnul Xulescu (any unknown or anonymous male person) · eo Ajnulo (any unknown or anonymous male person) · ary فلان بن علان (any unknown or anonymous male person) · wa Tibî Meyî (any unknown or anonymous male person)