Where does “shabby” come from?

Shabby derives from Middle English shabby, formed with the suffix -y from Middle French -ie, tracing back through Latin -ia and -ivus to Proto-Indo-European -kos.

shabby (English): Torn or worn; unkempt; Clothed with ragged, much...

Definitions

Torn or worn; unkempt; Clothed with ragged, much...

Ancestry of “shabby”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	shab	Scabies; A scab; To scratch; to rub
2	Middle English	shabbe	—
3	Old English	sċeabb	scab
4	Proto-Germanic	*skabb	—
5	Proto-Germanic	skabbaz	scab; scabies, mange
6	Proto-Indo-European	skÀbʰ-	to scratch, scrape

Words derived from “shabby”

shabbily
shabbiness
shabbyish
unshabby

Every word from Proto-Indo-European skÀbʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skabbaz →Every word from Proto-Germanic *skabb →