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showy

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Etymology and origin of the English word showy

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1697 G. Stanhope's translation of Charron, Of Wisdom More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Old English scēawian
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English show
Italian show
Romanian show
English showy
From the same root
English shaw ← show
English showcase ← show
English showdown ← show

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈʃəʊ.i/[1]
  • US: /ˈʃoʊ.i/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English show + -y, from the noun show.[2][3][4][5] The OED compares the earlier showish.[2] The noun comes from the verb show, Middle English sheuen, from Old English sceawian (“to look at, see, behold”).[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Done or displayed for show, to attract attention or admiration: 1697, in George Stanhope's translation of Charron's Of Wisdom.[2] Merriam-Webster dates its first sense to 1709, and Etymonline gives 1712, when Addison used it in the Spectator of things making a striking appearance.[5][3][2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective was at first a word of praise, for something brilliant or striking to the eye.[3] Johnson (1755) quoted Addison on men of warm imagination who neglect solid happiness for what is "showy and superficial".[7] Of people, it meant ostentatious or given to display by 1782,[3] and the main sense moved towards the pejorative: visually striking in a gaudy, excessive or pretentious way.[2][8] From 1793 naturalists used it in names of brightly coloured plants and animals, such as the showy orchis.[2]

Timeline

  • 1697 – done or displayed for show; of a person, seeking attention.[2]
  • 1712 – striking or impressive in appearance; later, gaudy.[2][3]
  • 1782 – of a person, ostentatious.[3]
  • 1793 – in names of brightly coloured plants and animals.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Making a striking or attractive display: showy spring blossoms.[5][8][2]
  2. Ostentatious, gaudy or flashy: a showy diamond ring.[8][5][2]
  3. Marked by brilliant but conspicuous skill: a showy piano solo.[5][4]
  4. (botany, zoology) In the names of strikingly coloured plants and animals, as the showy orchis.[2]

Word family

  • showily
  • showiness
  • unshowy
  • showy orchis

Usage notes

In Australian slang a showie, also spelled showy, is a display handkerchief worn in the breast pocket, and also a showman.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement
  7. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  9. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
Cite this entry

“Showy.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/showy. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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