savvy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsæv.i/^[1]

Etymology

A pidgin borrowing,^[2] probably of Spanish sabe (“(you) know”) from saber “to know”,^[3][2][4] or of French savez(-vous)? “do you know?”.^[2] Merriam-Webster derives it from sabi “know” in English-based creoles and pidgins, from Portuguese sabe (“he knows”).^[5] All go back to Latin sapere (“to be wise”).^[3][2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1785, as a slang noun for practical sense and as a verb “to know, understand”.^[2][6][5]

Semantic evolution

The verb was often used as a question after an explanation, meaning “do you understand?”.^[6] The adjective “shrewd, well-informed”, applied to people, is attested by 1905.^[2][6]

Timeline

• 1785 – noun and verb.^[2][6][5]
• 1905 – adjective.^[2][6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Shrewd, well informed and perceptive.

Noun

1. Practical know-how or shrewdness.

Verb

1. To understand.

Word family

• savvily
• unsavvy

Related words

• sapiens
• Homo sapiens
• insipid
• insipience
• sapid
• sapience
• sapient
• savant

References

1. [1] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. [1] [2] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
4. [1] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. [1] [2] [3] [4] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press