Where does “pretty penny” come from?
pretty penny (English) comes from English penny, 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.
pretty penny (English): Chiefly preceded by a: a considerable amount of money; a high income or price
Definitions
- Chiefly preceded by a: a considerable amount of money; a high income or price
Ancestry of “pretty penny”, step by step
pretty penny traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English penny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | penny | In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English pretty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pretty | Pleasant to the sight or other senses;... |
| 2 | Middle English | prety | — |
| 3 | Old English | prættiġ | tricky, crafty, sly, cunning, wily, astute |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | prattugaz | boastful, sly, slick, deceitful, tricky, cunning |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | prattuz | boastful talk; deceit, trickery, stratagem, list,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | brodnó- | to wander about |