Where does “sweaty” come from?

Sweaty derives from English sweet plus the diminutive suffix -y, which comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, and ultimately Latin -ia and -ivus, formatives used to create adjectives and nouns with varied semantic force.

sweaty (English): Covered in sweat; Having a tendency to sweat;...

Definitions

  1. Covered in sweat; Having a tendency to sweat;...

Ancestry of “sweaty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishswety
2EnglishsweatFluid that exits the body through pores in the...
3Middle EnglishswetenTo make sweet, sweeten; To induce happiness; To...
4Old Englishswētanto sweeten

Words derived from “sweaty

Every word from Old English swētanEvery word from Middle English swetenEvery word from English sweat
sweaty — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer