savvy?

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As with so many English words, savvy comes from Latin. Its verb sapere means “to be wise or knowing” (think homo sapiens), which yielded savez-vous (“do you know?”) in French and sabe in Spanish (“you know”), said to become savvy in West Indies pidgin language.

Though we may think of savvy? as pirate slang, we can thank the 1780s for savvy, a full half a century after the Golden Age of Piracy. Back then when English borrowed it, savvy was simply a noun that meant “knowledge” or “wisdom,” especially in the sense of practical (vs. theoretical) knowledge. We still use savvy as a noun in this way today:

Very interesting @pewresearch study: Americans – even those w/ high political awareness and digital savvy – have trouble distinguishing between fact and opinion news statements. And we are more likely to say something is factual when it coincides with our politics pic.twitter.com/GrKfwrI9fC

— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) June 18, 2018

We get savvy as an adjective by the early 1800s. This is the use we’re more familiar with today, especially in phrases such as politically savvy or a savvy dresser. In these cases, savvy means more than just knowledgeable—it also means “crafty,” “quick,” “sharp.” Takes real skill and street smarts to be savvy.

You are V, a cyberpunk. In a world of cyberenhanced street warriors, tech-savvy netrunners and corporate life-hackers, today is your first step to becoming an urban legend. #Cyberpunk2077@maul_cosplay @maja_felicitas pic.twitter.com/PEF5FO6J4L

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) June 12, 2018

Hey guys, I’m not the most politically savvy guy, but let’s like maybe not take children from their parents and put them in cages. Just a thought.

— Matt Mattson (@Matt_Mattson) June 20, 2018

Though we still often use savvy in these general ways, our association of savvy with pirates comes from the summer 2003 debut of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. In the film, main character Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) uses the question Savvy? to punctuate threats, jokes, and other swashbuckling statements. This savvy calls back to its roots for “do you understand?” with the sharp bark of a “Do you hear what I’m saying?”

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Fans of the franchise instantly took to the phrase, and the first Urban Dictionary entries for the term, written in quick succession in summer 2003, all reference the film as their inspiration. Not bad for what was apparently an ad lib from Depp.