Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “arty” come from?

Arty derives from English art plus the suffix -y, from Latin ars meaning skill or craft, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁és- meaning to be.

arty (English): Pretending to artistic worth; high-flown

Definitions

  1. Pretending to artistic worth; high-flown

Ancestry of “arty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishartWikisource; The conscious production or...
2Middle EnglishartSecond-person singular present indicative form of...
3Old Frenchartart
4Latinartemaccusative singular of ars; first-person singular...
5Latinarsart; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power
6Proto-Italicartis—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂értisfitting
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

Words derived from “arty”

  • artiness
  • artily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →