muddy

muddy · adjective, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mū-
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*mud-
3. Middle Low German · derived frommodde
4. Middle Dutch · derived frommodde
5. Middle English · inherited frommuddi
6. English todaymuddy

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English muddi, moddy, muddy (“covered with or full of mud, muddy”), from mud, mudde (“mud; turbid water”) + -i (suffix forming adjectives). Mud, mudde is possibly borrowed from Middle Dutch modde, and/or Middle Low German modde, mudde, from Proto-Germanic *mud-, *mudra- (“mud”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mū-, *mew- (“moist”). The English word is analysable as mud + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). Doublet of muddle. The verb is derived from the adjective. cognates * Middle Low German moddich, muddich (German Low German muddig (“muddy; mouldy”))

muddy · noun²

From mud (crab) + -y (diminutive suffix).

Words from the same roots