civvy
civvy Lexical Profile
civvy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British A person who is not a member of the armed forces or the police force; a civilian.
"After years of strict routine, he found it strange to be a civvy again."
• adjective
British Relating to or characteristic of a civilian or non-military life.
"Adjusting to a regular civvy job after ten years in the navy took him several months."
Word Nuance & Usage
Primarily used in British and Commonwealth informal speech, 'civvy' (also spelled 'civvie') is often heard in the plural 'civvies' to mean civilian clothing, or in the idiom 'Civvy Street' to refer to civilian life outside the armed forces.
• Rhymes for civvy
Word Origin & Etymology
Originated in late 19th-century British military slang as a clipped diminutive of 'civilian', which itself derives from Old French 'civilien' and Latin 'civilis' (relating to citizens).