Where does “Queenie” come from?
Queenie is an English diminutive formation from queen using the English suffix -y, which derives from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, and Latin -ia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
Queenie (English): An effeminate man; a male homosexual (especially as a term of address)
Definitions
- An effeminate man; a male homosexual (especially as a term of address)
Ancestry of “Queenie”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | queen | A female monarch. Example: Queen Victoria; The... |
| 2 | Middle English | quene | A queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female... |
| 3 | Old English | cwene | a woman; inflection of cwēn: ##... |
| 4 | Old English | cwēn | queen; woman, wife, queen |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | kwāni | woman, wife |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kwēniz | wife |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷḗn | woman |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷen- | woman |