bungee [1930s] A bungee was originally a rubber or eraser, although why has yet to be discovered. In the 1930s the word came to mean an elasticated cord for launching a glider, and by the 1960s the bungee or bungee cord, with a hook at each end, was used for securing articles. By the late 1970s a similar band allowed the development of bungee jumping, the sport of jumping from a high place secured by a band round the ankles.