Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

sleepy

/ˈsliːpi/ adjective

In Latin: sopōrus, somnolentus, somniculōsus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sleepy at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Tired; feeling the need for sleep.
Suggesting tiredness.
Tending to induce sleep.
a sleepy drink or potion

noun

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

verb

To sleep.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word