Where does “nosy” come from?
Nosy comes from Middle English, borrowed from Middle French -ie (a suffix forming adjectives), derived from Latin nodus meaning "knot" with the Latin adjective-forming suffix -ivus and nominal suffix -ia, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European -kos.
nosy (English): Prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s...
Definitions
- Prying, inquisitive or curious in other’s...
Ancestry of “nosy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | nose | A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils,... |
| 2 | Middle English | nōse | nose |
| 3 | Old French | nous | Alternative form of nos |
| 4 | Latin | nōs | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | nōs | we |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wéy | we |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |
Words derived from “nosy”