tinker

Meaning

Noun

1. An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household utensils made of metal.
2. (British, Ireland, dated, offensive) A member of the Irish Traveller community or of other itinerant groups; a gypsy.
3. (usually) A mischievous person, especially a playful, impish youngster.
4. Someone who repairs, or attempts repair, on anything mechanical, or who invents such devices; one who tinkers; a tinkerer.
5. (informal) An act of repair or invention.
6. (obsolete) A hand mortar.
7. Any of various fish: chub mackerel, silverside, skate, or young mackerel about two years old.
8. A bird, the razor-billed auk.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To work as a tinker.
2. (ambitransitive) To fiddle with something in an attempt to fix, mend or improve it, especially in an experimental or unskilled manner.

Synonyms

tinsmith

tinner

putter

tinkerer

monkey

🐒

monkey around

mess around

muck about

muck around

tinman

chub mackerel

Scomber japonicus

bungler

potter

coppersmith

fiddle

mess about

rubberneck

scamper

sightseer

solder

sweat

😓

tourer

tourist

trifle

tripper

vamp

whitesmith

tinplate worker

botch

pewter maker

botcher

bother

brazier

bungle

cobble

cobbler

dabble

darn

do handicrafts

farer

handy

holidaymaker

mend

muff

rascal

repair

Translations

bricoler

ketellapper

basteln

tamirci

tamircilik

flicken

oplappen

Kesselflicker

zingaro

rétameur

tüfteln

Tourist

Lausebengel

Reisender

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtɪŋkə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: tynkere

Inherited from Old English: *tincere

In summary

From Middle English tynkere, perhaps from Old English *tincere, from tin (“tin”) + *cere, as in bēocere (“beekeeper”).