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

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

Ancestry of “shabby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshabScabies; A scab; To scratch; to rub
2Middle Englishshabbe—
3Old Englishsċeabbscab
4Proto-Germanic*skabb—
5Proto-Germanicskabbazscab; scabies, mange
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanskÀbʰ-to scratch, scrape

Words derived from “shabby”

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