the word 'spicy' is a straightforward english derivation from the noun 'spice'. the noun 'spice' itself has a fascinating journey, originating from the latin word species, which broadly meant 'a kind, sort, or variety'. in medieval latin, this term was applied specifically to spices and drugs, which were valuable commodities of a particular kind. this specialized meaning passed into old french as espice and then into middle english. the adjectival suffix '-y', of old english origin, was then appended to mean 'full of or characterized by spice'. the modern figurative sense, describing something provocative or risqué, is a natural semantic extension from the idea of adding piquancy or zest.

Structure: spice (spice) + y (adjective suffix) spice (from old french espice, from latin species meaning 'kind, sort', later 'spices'); y (from old english -ig, a suffix forming adjectives meaning 'having the quality of').