'squid' is first recorded in late 18th-century English; its origin is uncertain and may be imitative or dialectal rather than derived from a known older root.

'squid' appears in nautical and natural-history writings from the late 1700s and has no secure cognates in other languages; it entered English in its modern form rather directly.

Initially it was used to name the marine animal 'squid', and over time the basic zoological meaning remained while extended uses developed (food sense and various slang senses).