*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tinny

From tin + -y.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary 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

Of or pertaining to or resembling tin. · Pertaining to the thinness and cheapness of tin or similar-looking metals, in contrast to a heavier, more valuable metal. · Pertaining to a thin, unpleasant sound recalling that of tin being rapped.

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

From tin + -y.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tin",
        "3": "y",
        "id2": "adjectival"
      },
      "expansion": "tin + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tin",
      "tin#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_adjectival"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Of or pertaining to or resembling tin.",
        "Pertaining to the thinness and cheapness of tin or similar-looking metals, in contrast to a heavier, more valuable metal.",
        "Pertaining to a thin, unpleasant sound recalling that of tin being rapped."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c44b212a30165824cd528c7ed9eab6108febbde4b1bf8bb0241f84aaba7b1a14",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8b09b13d500b411a330d88f20373e64f45dd0917bc530963f76fbf030a640bc4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 543456
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of tinnie.

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

From tin + -y (diminutive suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "diminutive"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tin",
        "3": "y",
        "pos2": "diminutive suffix",
        "id2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "tin + -y (diminutive suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tin",
      "tin#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of tinnie."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "80c64070ad439095f6d82fb4fcf06a0208d28a3d892e810b17fee2da2a1ed6e0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "722e3ca77e3fda0b369f51f6fe4de73c3c4454934733a5cea3895c7a6c8b801d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 543457
    }
  ],
  "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 tinny →

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-dGlubnk