Etymology Explorer › English

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 Englishswētan—

Words derived from “sweaty”

  • sweatiness
  • sweatily
Every word from Old English swētan →