Where does “nitty” come from?
nitty (English) comes from English nitty-gritty, from English gritty, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
nitty (English): Full of nits; Foolish, inane; A dope fiend, a...
Definitions
- Full of nits; Foolish, inane; A dope fiend, a...
Ancestry of “nitty”, step by step
nitty traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nitty-gritty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nitty-gritty | The core or essence of something; the details |
| 2 | English | gritty | Containing sand or grit; consisting of grit;... |
| 3 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 4 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 5 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |