*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of missy

Etymology tree English miss Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English missy From miss + -y.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
adj

Girlish; effeminate; sentimental. · Of, or pertaining to, female clothing or clothing sizes.

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

Etymology tree English miss Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English missy From miss + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "miss",
        "4": "-y<id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish miss\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish missy\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-i\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"missy\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"missy\">\nFrom miss + -y."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "miss",
        "4": "-y<id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish miss\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish missy\nFrom miss + -y."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "miss",
      "miss#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-j-, *-ij-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-j-"
    ],
    [
      "*-i, *-ī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-i"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "miss",
      "miss#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Girlish; effeminate; sentimental.",
        "Of, or pertaining to, female clothing or clothing sizes."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f271ccc80f84e153e003a24632aa4ffcfe319a3d811d89f4648cee73f2c2bad",
      "rawRecordSha256": "83446fa6b2cbf146e9d8aa4730754fcdb1d0c5938bebbb281052613d2c9f76e1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1470222
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A young female, or miss; as a term of mild disparagement, typically used jokingly or rebukingly. · A female nurse.

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

Etymology tree English miss Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English missy From miss + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "miss",
        "4": "-y<id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish miss\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish missy\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-i\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-iġ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-y\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"missy\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"missy\">\nFrom miss + -y."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "miss",
        "4": "-y<id:diminutive>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish miss\nProto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij-\nProto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī\nOld English -iġ\nMiddle English -y\nEnglish -y\nEnglish missy\nFrom miss + -y."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "miss",
      "miss#English"
    ],
    [
      "*-j-, *-ij-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-j-"
    ],
    [
      "*-i, *-ī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-i"
    ],
    [
      "-iġ",
      "-ig#Old_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#Middle_English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "miss",
      "miss#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "word": "Mihi",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A young female, or miss; as a term of mild disparagement, typically used jokingly or rebukingly.",
        "A female nurse."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Malaysia",
        "Singapore"
      ],
      "recordId": "7bd88b32fffdd9d6886fca558abfef35adb9c66d0141f7ab02152c79ddb03921",
      "rawRecordSha256": "05ad1147a7e43dd91a5a2430a37395ae3deb26982490ebb3bb4426f949c71ceb",
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}

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 missy →

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-bWlzc3k