Where does “skinny” come from?
Skinny is an English adjective formed from skin with the diminutive suffix -y, tracing through Middle French -ie and Latin -ia back to Proto-Indo-European -kos.
skinny (English): thin, generally in a negative sense; Low-fat;...
Definitions
- thin, generally in a negative sense; Low-fat;...
Ancestry of “skinny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | skin | The outer protective layer of the body of any... |
| 2 | Middle English | skinn | Alternative form of skyn |
| 3 | Old English | scinn | a skin |
| 4 | Old Norse | skinn | animal hide |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skinþą | animal hide; fruit peel; skin |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sken- | to split off |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ken- | to peel; to split off; peel |