sav|vy

sav|vy «SAV ee», verb, -vied, -vy|ing, noun, adjective. Slang.

–v.t., v.i.

to know; understand: »

You think you are wise, but there's a lot of things you don't savvy (Owen Wister).

–n.

understanding; intelligence; sense: »

I said he had savvy enough to find the index in “Gray's Anatomy” (Sinclair Lewis). Author Laing shows enough savvy about supermarkets to have been born and bred in one (Time).

–adj.

intelligent; sensible; knowing: »

a savvy farm spokesman and Ike's campaign adviser on agriculture (Time).

╂[partly < French savez(-vous)? do you know? partly < Spanish sabe (usted) (or sabes) you know, both < Vulgar Latin sapēre, for Latin sapere be wise, be knowing; have taste]