'wheezy' originates from English, specifically formed by adding the suffix '-y' to the verb 'wheeze,' where 'wheeze' is imitative of the sound of labored breathing.

'wheeze' appeared in Middle English (e.g. 'wheesen'), an imitative verb for noisy or labored breathing; adding the adjectival suffix '-y' produced 'wheezy' in modern English.

Initially it referred directly to the sound or action of wheezing; over time it came to describe qualities characterized by that sound (e.g. a wheezy cough) and later acquired figurative senses such as 'weak' or 'feeble.'