Where does “savvy” come from?

Savvy comes from Nigerian Pidgin sabi, from Portuguese saber, from Old Portuguese saber, from Vulgar Latin sapere, from Latin sapere meaning to taste or know, from Proto-Indo-European sap- or sep-.

savvy (English): Shrewd, well-informed and perceptive; To...

Definitions

  1. Shrewd, well-informed and perceptive; To...

Ancestry of “savvy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tok Pisinsaveto know; to understand; to make a practice or...
2Portuguesesabe
3PortugueseSaberto know
4Old Portuguesesaber—
5Latinsapĕre—

Words derived from “savvy”

Every word from Latin sapĕre →Every word from Old Portuguese saber →Every word from Portuguese Saber →
savvy — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer