Where does “antsy” come from?
Antsy derives from English ant plus the English suffix -y, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mai- and -kos through Latin -ivus and -ia, with the suffix also passing through Middle French -ie.
antsy (English): restless, apprehensive and fidgety
Definitions
- restless, apprehensive and fidgety
Ancestry of “antsy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ants | plural of ant; Third-person singular simple... |
| 2 | English | ant | Any of various insects in the family Formicidae... |
| 3 | Middle English | amte | Alternative form of ampte |
| 4 | Old English | ǣmette | ant |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | āmaitijā | ant |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |