Where does “spunky” come from?
Spunky comes from English spunk with the Middle English suffix -y, from Middle French -ie, from Latin -ia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
spunky (English): Spirited or plucky; Pertaining to or like spunk;...
Definitions
- Spirited or plucky; Pertaining to or like spunk;...
Ancestry of “spunky”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spunk | A spark; Touchwood; tinder; A piece of tinder,... |
| 2 | English | funk | Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor; A... |
| 3 | French | funquer | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | fumicare | — |
| 5 | Latin | fūmigāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | fūmus | smoke, steam, fume |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | fūmos | smoke |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰuh₂mós | smoke |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |