Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “showy” come from?

Showy comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, and Proto-Indo-European -kos, a suffix forming adjectives.

showy (English): calling attention; flashy; standing out to the...

Definitions

  1. calling attention; flashy; standing out to the...

Ancestry of “showy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshowTo display, to have somebody see; To bestow; to...
2Middle Englishschewento show
3Old Englishscēawianto look, look at, exhibit, display; to look at,...
4Proto-Germanicskawwōnąto look, see, watch
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kewh₁-to perceive; to observe

Words derived from “showy”

  • showily
  • showiness
  • unshowy
  • nonshowy
  • unshowiness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewh₁- →