Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pervy” come from?

pervy (English) comes from English perv, from English pervert, from Old French pervertir, from Latin perverto, from Latin vertō, from Proto-Italic wertō, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

pervy (English): Behaving or looking like a sexual pervert

Definitions

  1. Behaving or looking like a sexual pervert

Ancestry of “pervy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpervA pervert; To stare at others in a perverted...
2EnglishpervertOne who has been perverted; one who has turned to...
3Old Frenchpervertirto lead astray; to be led astray
4LatinpervertoI overthrow; I subvert or corrupt
5Latinvertō—
6Proto-Italicwertō—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
8Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “pervy”

  • nonpervy
  • pervily
  • perviness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →