entry
cocky
/ˈkɒki/Arrogantly overconfident and boastfully self-assured
From Proto-Germanic, via Old English cock (Male chicken).
Word Ancestry
A rooster does not merely walk; it seems to believe the entire farm has been assembled for its entrance. That strutting image lodged itself in English early: Old English cocc meant a male bird, but it also became a nickname for a pert boy or swaggering servant. By the 1540s, cocky could mean “lecherous,” a bawdy extension of the rooster’s reputation; by 1768, the emphasis had shifted toward arrogant cheek and boastful self-confidence. The bird word itself probably began as an imitation of its call, related to forms such as Proto-Germanic *kukkaz and Old Norse kokkr. So when someone acts cocky, English is picturing not a calm winner but a feathered little monarch puffing up before breakfast.
The Story
A rooster does not merely walk; it seems to believe the entire farm has been assembled for its entrance. That strutting image lodged itself in English early: Old English cocc meant a male bird, but it also became a nickname for a pert boy or swaggering servant. By the 1540s, cocky could mean “lecherous,” a bawdy extension of the rooster’s reputation; by 1768, the emphasis had shifted toward arrogant cheek and boastful self-confidence. The bird word itself probably began as an imitation of its call, related to forms such as Proto-Germanic *kukkaz and Old Norse kokkr. So when someone acts cocky, English is picturing not a calm winner but a feathered little monarch puffing up before breakfast.
Modern Usage
Insultingly overconfident and convinced of one’s superiority
Kin & Kindred
From 'cock'·Male chicken; a strutting or swaggering person
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary