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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.

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.

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