*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of fusty

From Middle English fusty, equivalent to fust + -y. Compare Scots foosty.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Moldy or musty. · Stale-smelling or stuffy. · Old-fashioned, refusing to change or update. · Tasting of the cask.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English fusty, equivalent to fust + -y. Compare Scots foosty.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "fusty"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English fusty"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fust",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "fust + -y"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "foosty"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots foosty"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "fusty",
      "fusty#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "fust",
      "fust#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ],
    [
      "foosty",
      "foosty#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Moldy or musty.",
        "Stale-smelling or stuffy.",
        "Old-fashioned, refusing to change or update.",
        "Tasting of the cask."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "recordId": "fc94d51e185bbde4cfd93620bd3fd3aa8431c21e81f5a6cd8a648a12280ae355",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f01feb2d7b87ecf907b815dc61406057fb19f4bf7efbda7ab398c204d410e73e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 301274
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for fusty →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZnVzdHk