Word of the Day

: September 1, 2006

savvy

verb SAV-ee

What It Means

: understand

savvy in Context

Although I savvied little Spanish, I could hear the urgency in the woman's voice and immediately sought a translator.

Did You Know?

You may be familiar with the noun "savvy," meaning "practical know-how" (as in "he has political savvy"), and the adjective use (as in "a savvy investor"). And if you've seen the blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean, you also know that the verb is often used as an informal, one-word question meaning "Do you understand?" (as in "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"). But Jack Sparrow (i.e., Johnny Depp) didn't invent the term. Both the noun and the verb came into use around 1785. "Savvy" is based on the Portuguese term "sabe," meaning "he knows," which itself is from Latin "sapere," meaning "to be wise." Creole speakers interpreted the Portuguese term as "sabi" and began using it as one would "know." Eventually, the Creole's "sabi" evolved into today's word.