Where does “nifty” come from?
Nifty derives from Middle English -y, from Middle French -ie, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ivus, from Latin -ia, from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
nifty (English): Good, smart; useful or beneficial; Stylish
Definitions
- Good, smart; useful or beneficial; Stylish
Ancestry of “nifty”, 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 “nifty”