What does chivying mean?
Chivying is the act of nagging, hustling, or persistently urging someone to move faster or get something done. It is the present participle of the informal verb 'chivy' (often written 'chivvy'), a chiefly British word that conveys brisk, slightly impatient encouragement rather than outright hostility — a parent chivying children out the door, or an editor chivying a writer toward a deadline. The word's origins are delightfully literary: it most likely derives from 'Chevy', a shortened form of 'Chevy Chase', the name of both an Elizabethan ballad about a famous border skirmish and the chase it depicts, which came to mean any pursuit. From there, 'chevy' and 'chivy' drifted into everyday speech as verbs for chasing and then for pestering. Though rare in formal writing and less familiar in American English, chivying fills a useful expressive niche that words like 'urging' and 'reminding' cannot quite capture, adding color and mild comic urgency to descriptions of everyday prodding.
verbThe present participle of 'chivy' (also spelled 'chivvy'), meaning to harass, nag, or pester someone persistently in order to make them hurry or do something.
- To nag or pester someone repeatedly in order to make them hurry or act (the dominant sense today)
- To chase or hustle someone about (an older, less common sense)
"She spent the whole morning chivying the children to get ready for school."
"He was forever chivying his colleagues to meet the deadline."
"The foreman kept chivying the crew until the last crate was loaded."
'Chivying' traces back to the old ballad 'Chevy Chase' — so every time you nag someone to hurry up, you're echoing a 16th-century Border raid.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chivying
Chivying derives from the verb 'chivy' (also spelled 'chivvy'), which appeared in English in the early nineteenth century. It is generally traced to 'Chevy', a shortened form of 'Chevy Chase', the title of a well-known ballad commemorating the Battle of Otterburn (1388), where 'Chevy' itself comes from the French 'chevauchée', meaning a raid or pursuit on horseback. The noun 'chevy' thus came to mean a chase or hunt, and the verb evolved from 'to chase' into its modern sense of nagging or hurrying someone along. Related forms include 'chevy' and, more distantly, the broader family of 'chase' words borrowed from Old French.
Related word forms
How chivying is actually used
Informal register, used far more in British English than American English. The doubled-v spelling 'chivvying' is at least as common as 'chivying' and both are accepted; the verb itself also appears as 'chivy' and 'chivvy'. The tone is mildly impatient rather than hostile — it suggests brisk urging rather than serious harassment.
Easily confused with chivying
'Chivalry' refers to the medieval knightly code of honor and courtesy, whereas 'chivying' means nagging or hurrying someone along.
'Chive' is a culinary herb related to onion and garlic, unrelated to the verb 'chivy' despite the shared first syllable.