Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knavery” come from?

Knavery derives from Middle English knaverie, formed from knave plus the suffix -ery, ultimately tracing to Old English cnafa, a servant or boy, with distant roots in Proto-Indo-European -yós.

knavery (English): The tricks or antics of a knave; boyish mischief;...

Definitions

  1. The tricks or antics of a knave; boyish mischief;...

Ancestry of “knavery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-eryAdded to nouns to form other nouns meaning the...
2French-eriedenoting a shop selling a certain product;...
3Old French-erieused to form feminine nouns
4Old French-ieindicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one
5Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
6Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
7Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
8Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →