Where does “posy” come from?
Posy comes from Middle English poesie, from Middle French poesie, from Old French poesie, from Latin poesis, from Ancient Greek ποίησις, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -tis.
posy (English): A flower; a bouquet; a nosegay; A verse of...
Definitions
- A flower; a bouquet; a nosegay; A verse of...
Ancestry of “posy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | poesy | A poem; The class of literature comprising poems;... |
| 2 | Middle French | poesie | poetry; poem |
| 3 | Old French | poesie | — |
| 4 | Latin | poēsis | poetry |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ποίησις | poetry, poem; a creation, fabrication, production |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |