sleepy

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   ready to fall asleep

   beginning to feel sleepy

2. 2
   adj

   Tired; feeling the need for sleep.

   She wak'd her sleepy crew.

3. 3
   adj

   Suggesting tiredness.

   At the very moment he cried out, David realised that what he had run into was only the Christmas tree. Disgusted with himself at such cowardice, he spat a needle from his mouth, stepped back from the tree and listened. There were no sounds of any movement upstairs: no shouts, no sleepy grumbles, only a gentle tinkle from the decorations as the tree had recovered from the collision.

4. 4
   adj

   Tending to induce sleep.

   a sleepy drink or potion

5. 5
   adj

   Dull; lazy.

   'Tis not sleepy business; But must be looked to speedily and strongly.

6. 6
   adj

   Quiet; without bustle or activity.

   a sleepy English village

7. 7
   noun

   The gum that builds up in the eye; sleep, gound.

   "Did he always leave the sleepy in his eyes?" "Never removed it; let it build up in the comers of his eyes over the weeks until it was heavy enough to fall […]

8. 8
   noun

   Shingleback.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *slēpaz Proto-West Germanic *slāp Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Proto-West Germanic *slāpag Old English *slǣpiġ Middle English slepy English sleepy From Middle English slepy, from Old English *slǣpiġ (attested in unslǣpiġ (“sleepless”)), from Proto-West Germanic *slāpag (“sleepy”), equivalent to sleep + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian släipich (“sleepy”), West Frisian sliepich (“sleepy”), dialectal Dutch slapig, slepig (“sleepy”), German Low German slapig, släpig, slöpig (“sleepy”), archaic German schlafig (“sleepy”).