Peevish

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈpiːvɪʃ/
• US IPA: /ˈpivɪʃ/

Alternative forms

• pevish, pievish obsolete

Origin

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.

Full definition of peevish

Adjective

1. 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:The 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."

Derived terms

• peevishly
• peevishness