ivy English · revision 16150

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=early Old English, Erfurt Glossary}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈaɪvi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|ivi]], [[inh|ang|īfig]],^(AHD 2024)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Klein 1966) from [[gmw-pro|*ibah]],^(Etymonline)^(Ayto 2005) related to [[goh|ebah]] and [[m|goh|ebahewi]] (modern [[de|Efeu]]) and to the first part of [[gml|iflōf]] and [[nl|eiloof]],^(OED 2026)^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) whose second parts are the words for ''[[hay]]'' and ''[[leaf]]''.^(Hoad 1986)^(SOED 2002) The further origin is unknown.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Weekley 1921) Merriam-Webster and Ayto mention a link with [[la|ibex]], as if "climber",^(MWU 2024)^(Ayto 2005) but Liberman rejects it;^(Liberman 2008) he relates ''īfig'' to [[m|ang|āfor|t=pungent, bitter]], so that ivy was named as a bitter plant, the suffix [[m|ang|-ig]] first meaning a place overgrown with it.^(Liberman 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The climbing evergreen ''Hedera helix'': early Old English, in the Erfurt Glossary;^(OED 2026) Barnhart dates Old English ''ifig'' to about 700, and Middle English ''ivi'' to about 1200.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ An ivy bush hung outside a tavern was a sign that wine was sold there, from 1436 to 1612, ivy being sacred to [[Bacchus]].^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline) The name spread to other climbing or creeping plants, with a qualifying word (1588), such as ''[[poison ivy]]'', which in American English could be simply ''ivy'' (1788).^(OED 2026) The ivy-covered buildings of old universities gave ''Ivy'' as an adjective for academic life (1933)^(MWU 2024) and the ''[[Ivy League]]'' of eight north-eastern American universities.^(Etymonline)^(Ayto 2005)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 700 – Old English ''ifig''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1200 – Middle English ''ivi''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1436 – a tavern's ivy bush.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1588 – other climbing plants.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1844 – the verb, to cover with ivy.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1933 – academic, collegiate.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An evergreen climbing plant (''Hedera helix'') with glossy lobed leaves, which clings to walls and trees by small [[root|alt=roots]].^(AHD 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Any of various other climbing or creeping plants, such as [[poison ivy]] or [[ground ivy]].^(AHD 2024)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ivylike]]

+ * [[ivied]]

+ * [[Ivy League]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}