Etymology

thingy

T1H4I1N1G2Y4

Today it means: A thing (used to refer to something vaguely or when one cannot recall or does not wish to mention its name). Full definition →

English thing ← Middle English thing ← Old English þing
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thingy · noun, pronoun1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tenk-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tenkóm
  3. Proto-Germanic*þingą
  4. Proto-West Germanic*þing
  5. Old Englishþing
  6. Middle Englishthing
  7. Englishthing
  8. English todaythingy

From thing + -y (diminutive suffix).

thingy · adjective2

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tenk-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tenkóm
  3. Proto-Germanic*þingą
  4. Proto-West Germanic*þing
  5. Old Englishþing
  6. Middle Englishthing
  7. Englishthing
  8. English todaythingy

From thing + -y (adjectival suffix).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.