pert

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
6
Words With Friends
7
Letters
4
Pronunciation
/pɜːt/
See all 2 pronunciations
/pɜːt/ · /pɝt/

Definition of pert

9 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Attractive.
See all 9 definitions

adj

  1. Attractive.
  2. Well-formed; shapely.
    “pert breasts”
  3. Lively; alert and cheerful; bright.
    “Goe Philoſtrate, / Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments, / Awake the peart and nimble ſpirit of mirth, / Turne melancholy foorth to funerals: […]”
    “He was instantly attracted to Gladys's pert, fey humor and her good nature.”
  4. (archaic)Especially of children or social inferiors: cheeky, impertinent.
    “Says Mrs. Jervis, Pamela, don’t be pert to his Honour? You ſhould know your Diſtance; you ſee his Honour was only in Jeſt.”
    “[T]he Major began to think that Pen was growing exceedingly pert and conceited, and that the world made a great deal too much of him.”
    “[…]so that I couldn't help telling her, sir, that in our country, leastways in Virginia (they say the Yankees are very pert), young people don't speak of their elders so.”
    ““Then you didn't find her so amusing as Tom does?” “I found her pert. There's no other word for it. She says things to puzzle you and put you out.””
    “"You'll not be so pert when the Cornish seize you. They spit children like you and roast them on bonfires."”
  5. (obsolete)Open; evident; unhidden.
    “Some parled as perte · as prouyd well after, / And clappid more ffor þe coyne · þat þe kyng oweth hem / Thanne ffor comfforte of þe comyne […]”
  6. (obsolete)Clever.

verb

  1. (intransitive, obsolete)To behave with pertness; to misbehave.

noun

  1. (obsolete)An impudent person.
  2. (abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable)Acronym of program evaluation and review technique.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English pert, perte, aphetic form of apert.

Anagrams of pert

4 plays · some not in Scrabble

Words you can make from pert

9 playable · top: PER (5 pts)

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3-letter words

3 words

2-letter words

5 words

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