English word origin

Etymology of tipsy

From tips + -y. Compare artsy, folksy, and sudsy.

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

Slightly drunk, fuddled, staggering, foolish as a result of drinking alcoholic beverages. · Unsteady, askew. · Containing alcohol.

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

From tips + -y. Compare artsy, folksy, and sudsy.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Word-formation componenttipen
Word-formation component-yen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tip",
        "3": "-y",
        "alt1": "tips"
      },
      "expansion": "tips + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tips",
      "tip#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ],
    [
      "artsy",
      "artsy#English"
    ],
    [
      "folksy",
      "folksy#English"
    ],
    [
      "sudsy",
      "sudsy#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Slightly drunk, fuddled, staggering, foolish as a result of drinking alcoholic beverages.",
        "Unsteady, askew.",
        "Containing alcohol."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "277c22fb46544abe429f188c5c5703ce7736d952a8767641e8d7dc5c2450e6c3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "52f6280fbf11137da84594dd6b386242cd9c8cb89186365b03d19e49f201df28",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 254636
    }
  ],
  "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 tipsy →

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-dGlwc3k