Where does “arsy varsy” come from?
arsy varsy (English) comes from English arsy versy, from English arsa versa, from English arse, from Middle English ars, from Old French arz, from Latin artes, from Latin ars, from Proto-Italic artis — to fit, to fix, to put together.
arsy varsy (English): Tumbling upside down; head over heels; backwards
Definitions
- Tumbling upside down; head over heels; backwards
Ancestry of “arsy varsy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | arsy versy | Tumbling upside down; head over heels; backwards |
| 2 | English | arsa versa | — |
| 3 | English | arse | The buttocks or more specifically, the anus; A... |
| 4 | Middle English | ars | arse, anus; bottom, buttocks; plural of art |
| 5 | Old French | arz | — |
| 6 | Latin | artes | second-person singular present active subjunctive... |
| 7 | Latin | ars | art; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | artis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂értis | fitting |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |