Tippy
/ˈtɪpi/noun
Characterized by tipping or likely to tip over; also used informally to mean excitable or tipsy.
Did you know?Tippy is an English adjective built from the verb tip, which comes from a Germanic root meaning both “point” and “thin end,” so the word’s energy is literally about instability and the edge of balance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tipp-
“a point, tip, or pointed end”
Old English
OE
typp
“a point or tuft; later forms influenced words for the end or extremity”
Middle English
ME
tippe
“to touch lightly, to tilt, or to strike at the end”
Early Modern English
English
tippy
“inclined to tip; unsteady or likely to overturn”
Modern English
English
tippy
“wobbly, unstable, or easily tipped over; informally, a little tipsy”