"Chivy" arose in English around 1785 as a hunting cry, and then it grew to mean "a hunt, a chase," as well as "to hunt, to chase." And by about 1918 it had also grown to mean "to harass, to pester, as if by chasing around." These uses as a verb are the ones we'll focus on, since they're in use today.

Where it comes from, pre-1785, is pretty weird! Sources disagree about the exact details, but as far I can tell, "chivy" probably showed up in English as a different form of "chevy," meaning "to chase," which itself possibly arose as a shortened form of "Chevy Chase," the name of a hunting land in England where a battle (supposedly) took place between the English and the Scottish, starting as a hunting party but morphing into an actual battle, which went on to become the subject of two different (historically inaccurate) ballads in English, which were catalogued by the 1800s. Here's the lyrics to one of them. And you can hear one version sung here.

If you're wondering where the actor Chevy Chase comes in here, I was, too! Apparently his given name is Cornelius Crane Chase, and his grandma nicknamed him Chevy in reference to the English ballad.

Part of speech:

Verb, the transitive kind: "Calling your senators can chivy them into action."

Other forms: 

There's an alternate spelling, with a double v: "chivvy." It's slightly less common than "chivy," and both are acceptable.

In older texts, you might see the spelling "chevy." We don't use that one today.

The other verb forms are "chivied" (or "chivvied") and "chivying" (or "chivvying").

how to use it:

"Chivy" is relatively rare in print and in conversation, but it's a fun word: cute, quirky, and easy to understand in context.

You might talk about someone chivying someone along, or chivying someone to do something, or chivying someone into a task, or chivying someone into doing something.

examples:

"[Ernest Hemingway] liked to shadowbox while walking down the street. He would routinely chivy his friends into the ring in order to engage in tests of strength."
  — Matthew Adams, Washington Post, 17 May 2017

"A Somali mother takes her five children, a pot, a kettle, a cup and a plate and sets out to walk for more than two weeks to the camp across the Kenyan border. She chivvies the youngest by telling him that a lion is pacing right behind."
  — Staff, The Economist, 23 January 2016

has this page helped you understand "chivy"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "chivy" without saying "chase" or "pester."

try it out:

Here's Cory Doctorow on why it's hard for workers to go on strike:

"One of the sleaziest, most common ways for capitalists to shed risk is by shifting it onto their workers' shoulders, for example, by sending workers home on slow days and refusing to pay them for the rest of their shifts. This is easy for capitalists to do because workers have a collective action problem: for workers to force their bosses not to do this, they all have to agree to go on strike, and other workers have to honor their picket-lines. That's a lot of chivvying and bargaining and group-forming, and it's very hard."

With that in mind as an example, see if you can explain another process that's hard because it takes so much chivying: that is, so much pestering people into action, as if you have to chase them down.

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is Just Joshing: John Oliver Edition!

Flex your creativity and word-finding skills as you fill in the blanks to create your own joke, following the example of the comedian John Oliver. Since the LOLs are in the details, try making your joke as specific (or weird) as possible.

For example, if I give you "The only things you should be buying on eBay are _____ and _____," then you might give me "The only things you should be buying on eBay are pieces of gum chewed by Elvis and unassembled snowmen." (Oliver's actual joke was "The only things you should be buying on eBay are vintage RadioShack swag and a discarded e-meter from the Church of Scientology.")

Try this one today: "One of the administration’s early moves was to send out an email offering many a deferred resignation, where they could quit their jobs and get paid through September or stay and risk being laid off… 'Take this money now or risk being eliminated' isn't how you run the federal government, it's how you _____."

To see my crack at it, as well as Oliver's original joke, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. One near opposite of CHIVY is

A. ELUDE (escape).
B. VITIATE (make impure).
C. EXUDE (ooze or demonstrate).

2. According to the Wall Street Journal, a tax reform project in 2016 succeeded in "_____."

A. chivying tax loopholes
B. chivying companies into action
C. chivying nearly $240 billion per year

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B From the game: My crack at it: "'Take this money now or risk being eliminated’ isn't how you run the federal government, it's how you design the adorable board game Cloud 9." Oliver's original joke: "'Take this money now or risk being eliminated’ isn't how you run the federal government, it's how you run Beast Games."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.