Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prissy” come from?

prissy (English) comes from English precise, from Middle French précis, from Latin praecīsus, from Latin praecīdō, from Latin prae, from Proto-Italic prai, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.

prissy (English): Excessively prim, proper, particular or fussy;...

Definitions

  1. Excessively prim, proper, particular or fussy;...

Ancestry of “prissy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishpreciseexact, accurate; consistent, clustered close...
2Middle Frenchprécis—
3Latinpraecīsus—
4Latinpraecīdō—
5Latinpraebefore; in front; in front of
6Proto-Italicprai—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “prissy”

  • prissily
  • prissiness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →