Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spivvery” come from?

spivvery (English) comes from English spiv, 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.

spivvery (English): Alternative spelling of spivery

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of spivery

Ancestry of “spivvery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspivA smartly dressed person who trades in illicit,...
2EnglishspiffyDapper; fine or neat, especially in style of...
3English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
4Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
5Old English-iġ-y, -ic
6Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
7Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
8Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →