Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sooty” come from?

Sooty comes from Middle English soty, formed with the Middle English suffix -y from Middle English soot, which derives from Old English sōt, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sweh₂d- meaning to sweat or exude.

sooty (English): Of, relating to, or producing soot; Soiled with...

Definitions

  1. Of, relating to, or producing soot; Soiled with...

Ancestry of “sooty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsootySoiled with soot; sooty
2Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
3Middle English-ien—
4Old English-ianForms verbs from nouns and adjectives
5Old English-ōjan—
6Proto-West Germanic-ōnCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
7Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
8Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
11Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “sooty”

  • sootiness
  • sootily
Every word from Chichewa iye →