Etymology

fogey

F4O1G2E1Y4

Today it means: A dull person (especially an old man) who is behind the times, holding antiquated, over-conservative views. Full definition →

Scots foggie
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The story

  1. Scots · derived fromfog“moss; lichen”
  2. Scots · borrowed fromfoggie
  3. English todayfogey

Borrowed from Scots foggie, fogie (noun), perhaps derived from Scots foggie (“covered with moss or lichen; mossy", hence "old, antiquated, decrepit”, adjective), from Scots fog (“moss; lichen”), equivalent to fog (“moss”) + -y. Further origin uncertain. More at fog.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.