Where does “dingy” come from?
Dingy comes from Middle English dingy, from Old English dyncgig, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰengʰ-, meaning to stink or reek, via Old English dung and Proto-Germanic dungz.
dingy (English): drab; shabby; dirty; squalid; Alternative form of...
Definitions
- drab; shabby; dirty; squalid; Alternative form of...
Ancestry of “dingy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 2 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 3 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
Words derived from “dingy”