English
ditty
Ditty comes from Middle English dite.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dite
- Englishearliest quotation 1590ditty
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dite
- Englishearliest quotation 1590ditty
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book II, Canto X: “O, too high ditty for my simple rime.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- ‘to point out, to show’
teach, toe, token, paradigm, indicative, syndicate, digit, syndicalism, tache, 41 more
through Proto-Italic *deikō ‘to show, indicate’
interdiction, indexation, 15 more
through Latin dīcō ‘say, speak’
index, indicate, indication, predict, dictionary, dedication, indicator, preach, addict, contradictory, dedicate, contradiction, contradict, predicament, predicate, ditto, diction, dictum, interdict, dict, indicia, 22 more
through Latin dictō ‘to repeat, say often’
Today it means
noun A short, simple verse or song.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English dite / ditty