*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rosy

From Middle English rosy; equivalent to rose + -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

Original entry ↗
adj

Rose-coloured. · Of any reddish hue from bright pink to the color of ruddy cheeks in a light-skinned person. · Otherwise resembling a rose, as for example in scent of perfume. · Optimistic.

verb

To make pinkish in colour. · To present in a deceptively optimistic or positive light.

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

From Middle English rosy; equivalent to rose + -y.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionrosyenm
  • Word-formation componentroseen
  • Word-formation component-yen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "rosy"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English rosy"
    },
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "rose",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "rose + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "rosy",
      "rosy#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "rose",
      "rose#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Rose-coloured.",
        "Of any reddish hue from bright pink to the color of ruddy cheeks in a light-skinned person.",
        "Otherwise resembling a rose, as for example in scent of perfume.",
        "Optimistic."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 302739
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make pinkish in colour.",
        "To present in a deceptively optimistic or positive light."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative spelling of Rosie (“tea”).

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

A variant of Rosie, an ellipsis of Rosie Lee.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ellipsis",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Rosie Lee",
        "nocap": "1",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "ellipsis of Rosie Lee"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Rosie",
      "Rosie#English"
    ],
    [
      "Rosie Lee",
      "Rosie Lee#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative spelling of Rosie (“tea”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cockney",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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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 rosy →

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-cm9zeQ