achy

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈeɪki/ UK /ˈeɪki/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
affected by a dull, persistent pain

After the long hike his legs felt stiff and achy.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · affected by a dull,... sore aching painful tender throbbing

Opposites

painless comfortable

Word family

Derived forms achiness

Related forms ache aching

Etymology

From ache + -y, from Old English acan ('to ache, suffer pain'), from Proto-Germanic *akaną.

acan Old English *akaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# achy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈeɪki/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈeɪki/

## Meanings
1. affected by a dull, persistent pain

## Examples
- After the long hike his legs felt stiff and achy.

## Synonyms
- sore
- aching
- painful
- tender
- throbbing

## Antonyms
- painless
- comfortable

## Derived Forms
- achiness

## Related Forms
- ache
- aching

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: acan
- Root: *akaną

## Etymology
From ache + -y, from Old English acan ('to ache, suffer pain'), from Proto-Germanic *akaną.

## AI Etymology
Achy is an adjective meaning "affected by a dull, persistent pain". Historically, it is from ache + -y, from Old English acan ('to ache, suffer pain'), from Proto-Germanic *akaną. The visible construction is part of the etymology: achy is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The modern meaning, "affected by a dull, persistent pain", follows the base word through the added English ending. The historical chain links Old English acan with Proto-Germanic *akaną. Close English family members include achiness, ache, and aching.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown