Where does “testy” come from?
Testy comes from Middle English testif, from Old French testu meaning stubborn, from Old French teste meaning head, from Latin testum, ultimately from Latin tergeo meaning to rub or wipe.
testy (English): Easily annoyed, irritable; Marked by impatience...
Definitions
- Easily annoyed, irritable; Marked by impatience...
Ancestry of “testy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | testif | testy; headstrong; obstinate |
| 2 | Old French | testu | — |
| 3 | Old French | -u | suffixed used to form adjectives from nouns |
| 4 | Latin | -utus | — |
| 5 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |
Words derived from “testy”