Where does “ditty” come from?

Ditty comes from Middle English ditee, from Old French ditie, meaning a composition or something dictated.

ditty (English): A short verse or tune; A saying or utterance,...

Definitions

  1. A short verse or tune; A saying or utterance,...

Ancestry of “ditty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishdite
2Old Frenchditie
3Old Frenchditier
4Latindictāre

Words derived from “ditty

Every word from Latin dictāre