DictionaryRoot: -ig
Old English
-ig
having, full of, or like
Forms
- -ig
- -y — The ending weakened and changed spelling in later English.
Origin
An inherited Germanic descriptive ending.
Note
Its modern descendants describe both possession and resemblance.
3 / 5
adjective
haughty
HAW-tee/ˈhɔːti/
Acting superior to others and looking down on them.
Etymology
Haut meant “high” and also “proud”: height became an image for being high in one's own estimation. The adjective ending reinforces a quality already present in the base.