sleepy
UK[ˈsliːpi]US[ˈsliːpi]
adj
needing or ready to go to sleep
adj
(of a place) very quiet and without much activity
Morpheme Breakdown
sleep
y
sleep
to rest in sleep
y
characterized by; adjective suffix
Etymology
the word 'sleepy' is a native english formation, built from the old english noun/verb root 'slæp' (sleep) and the productive adjective-forming suffix '-ig'. this suffix, cognate with german '-ig' and dutch '-ig', originates from proto-germanic '-īgaz', which itself likely derives from the proto-indo-European '-kos' or '-ikos', a suffix indicating possession or character. the literal construction "full of sleep" or "characterized by sleep" has remained semantically transparent from its old english origins to modern usage, where it describes both the physiological state of drowsiness and, by metaphorical extension, the tranquil atmosphere of a quiet place.
Analysis
Structure: sleep (to rest in sleep) + y (characterized by; adjective suffix)
sleep (from old english 'slæp', 'slæpan', meaning sleep, to sleep; a noun/verb root). y (from old english '-ig', a suffix forming adjectives meaning 'having the quality of').
Examples
the warm room and soft music made everyone feel sleepy.
after the long journey, the children were too sleepy to eat dinner.
it's a sleepy little village where nothing much ever happens.