Where does “spiv” come from?
spiv (English) comes from English spiffy, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
spiv (English): A smartly dressed person who trades in illicit,...
Definitions
- A smartly dressed person who trades in illicit,...
Ancestry of “spiv”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | spiffy | Dapper; fine or neat, especially in style of... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
Words derived from “spiv”