peevish
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English pevische, pevisse, pevysse, peivesshe, also peyuesshe, peeuish, of obscure origin. Perhaps from Middle English pew, pue (“a plaintive cry, the cry of a bird”), equivalent to pue + -ish. Cognate with Scots pevis, pevess, pevych, pevach (“peevish”), Scots pew, peu (“to cry in a plaintive manner”). See pue
Alternative etymology derives Middle English peyvesshe "capricious, silly", as a possible corruption of Latin perversus "perverted". The meaning "fretful" develops in the 16th century.
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
peevish (comparative more peevish, superlative most peevish)
- Constantly complaining; fretful, whining.
- circa 1599, William Shakespeare, King Henry V, act 3, sc. 7:
- Orleans: What a wretched and peevish fellow is this king of England, to mope with his fat-brained followers so far out of his knowledge!
- 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, ch. 41:
- [T]he luckless Kitty continued in the parlour repining at her fate in terms as unreasonable as her accent was peevish.
- 1917, P. G. Wodehouse, "The Mixer" in The Man With Two Left Feet and Other Stories:
- At first he was quite peevish. "What's the idea," he said, "coming and spoiling a man's beauty-sleep? Get out."
- circa 1599, William Shakespeare, King Henry V, act 3, sc. 7:
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
constantly complaining
