Where does “dicey” come from?
Dicey is an English adjective derived from the noun die, which originally referred to a cube used in gaming, and came to mean risky or uncertain by association with the unpredictability of dice games.
dicey (English): Fraught with danger; Of uncertain, risky outcome;...
Definitions
- Fraught with danger; Of uncertain, risky outcome;...
Ancestry of “dicey”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dice | Gaming with one or more dice; A die; That which... |
| 2 | Middle English | dees | Alternative form of deis; plural of dee; Synonym... |
| 3 | Old French | des | — |
| 4 | Old French | de | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | datum | gift, present; accusative supine of dō;... |
| 6 | Latin | datus | given; offered; yielded |
| 7 | Latin | dāre | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | didō | give |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dédeh₃ti | to be giving |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₃- | to give |