Dictionary

foggy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈfɒɡi/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From fog + -y, originally in the sense "covered with tall grass; marshy; thick". It is not clear whether fog (“mist”) is a back-formation from foggy (“covered with tall, obscuring grass”) or has a separate Germanic origin, and hence whether foggy (“covered with tall grass”) and foggy (“obscured by mist”) represent one word or two. See fog ("mist"; "tall grass") for more.

Meanings

1. Obscured by mist or fog; unclear; hazy.
   • At Esher we were getting out into bright sunshine, and apart from another foggy patch between Farnborough and Winchfield, we had a clear run from then on. 1955 April, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 263:
2. (figuratively) Confused, befuddled, or vague.
   • If she knew [a psychiatrist was] observing her son with a view to finding out if he was foggy between the ears, there would be umbrage on her part, or even dudgeon. 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VI:
   • He was still foggy with sleep.
3. Being, covered with, or pertaining to fog (“tall grass etc that grows after, or is left after, cutting; moss”)
   • For they will feed on foggy grass and such like. Also ye shall understand that horses and Cattel may not well be foddered in Winter all together, but […] 1680, Leonard Mascall, The government of cattel. Divided into three books, etc, page 221:
   • See swingin' owr the foggy swaird, Begrac'd wi' angel features, […] 1808, John Stagg, Miscellaneous Poems, Some of which are in the Cumberland and Scottish Dialects, page 143:
   • […] for as he shuts up his meadow at Christmas, leaves such foggy grass behind, and manures well, in case a wet hot summer succeeds, […] 1772, William Ellis, Husbandry, abriged, page 98:

Forms

Deriveds

fogginess · unfoggy · Foggy Bottom · foggily

Translations (65)

lb niwweleg (obscured by mist or fog) · fi sumuinen (obscured by mist or fog) · eo nebula (obscured by mist or fog) · be тума́нны (obscured by mist or fog) · az dumanlı (obscured by mist or fog) · it nebbioso (obscured by mist or fog) · mk за́маглен (obscured by mist or fog) · sv disig (obscured by mist or fog) · bg мъглив (obscured by mist or fog) · sv dimmig (obscured by mist or fog) · gl bretemoso (obscured by mist or fog) · ca emboirat (obscured by mist or fog) · fr embrumé (confused) · ar ضَبَابِيّ (obscured by mist or fog) · fr brumeux (obscured by mist or fog) · sh магловит (obscured by mist or fog) · nl nevelig (obscured by mist or fog) · ga ceomhar (obscured by mist or fog) · ka ნისლიანი (obscured by mist or fog) · ce дохка (obscured by mist or fog) · cy niwlog (obscured by mist or fog) · pl mglisty (obscured by mist or fog) · nb tåkete (obscured by mist or fog) · la nebulōsus (obscured by mist or fog) · cs mlžný (obscured by mist or fog) · grc ὀμιχλώδης (obscured by mist or fog) · tr sisli (obscured by mist or fog) · mk ма́глив (obscured by mist or fog) · es nebuloso (confused) · sk hmlistý (obscured by mist or fog) · de diesig (obscured by mist or fog) · mi kōehuehu (obscured by mist or fog) · nv áhí bee chahałheeł (obscured by mist or fog) · et udune (obscured by mist or fog) · nn tåkete (obscured by mist or fog) · sh maglovit (obscured by mist or fog) · lt miglotas (obscured by mist or fog) · nl mistig (obscured by mist or fog) · bg замъглен (obscured by mist or fog) · pt nublado (obscured by mist or fog) · es brumoso (obscured by mist or fog) · el ομιχλώδης (obscured by mist or fog) · es nebuloso (obscured by mist or fog) · es caliginoso (obscured by mist or fog) · hu ködös (obscured by mist or fog) · ru мгли́стый (obscured by mist or fog) · ru тума́нный (obscured by mist or fog) · de neblig (obscured by mist or fog) · cs mlhavý (obscured by mist or fog) · uz tumanli (obscured by mist or fog) · pt enevoado (obscured by mist or fog) · hrx newlich (obscured by mist or fog) · nb tåket (obscured by mist or fog) · sl meglen (obscured by mist or fog) · lo ມີໝອກ (obscured by mist or fog) · es neblinoso (obscured by mist or fog) · vi có sương mù (obscured by mist or fog) · es emboriado (obscured by mist or fog) · fr engourdi (confused) · fi utuinen (obscured by mist or fog) · uk тума́нний (obscured by mist or fog) · ro încețat (obscured by mist or fog) · ru сму́тный (obscured by mist or fog) · da tåget (obscured by mist or fog) · lv miglains (obscured by mist or fog)