Where does “missy” come from?
Missy comes from English mistress, which derives from Middle French -ie (a feminine suffix), from Latin -ia, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European -kos, a suffix forming agent nouns and adjectives.
missy (English): A young female, or miss; as a term of mild...
Definitions
- A young female, or miss; as a term of mild...
Ancestry of “missy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Miss | Form of address, now used chiefly for an... |
| 2 | English | Mistress | Used as the title of a married woman before her... |
| 3 | Middle English | maistresse | mistress |
| 4 | Old French | maistresse | — |
| 5 | Old French | maistre | master; Master; magister |
| 6 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |