Etymology

naughty

naugh·ty
N1A1U1G2H4T1Y4

Today it means: Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child). Full definition →

First used 17th c.Middle English noughti
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromnoughti
  2. English todaynaughty

From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 17th c. Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child).
  • from 19th c. Sexually provocative; now in weakened sense, risqué, cheeky.
  • from 15th c. Evil, wicked, morally reprehensible.
  • 16th–19th c. Bad, worthless, substandard.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.