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pee·vish

(pēvĭsh)

adj.

a. Querulous or discontented.

b. Ill-tempered.

2. Contrary; fractious.

[Middle English pevish, possibly from Latin perversus, turned the wrong way, perverse, past participle of pervertere, to turn around, corrupt; see PERVERT.]

peevish·ly adv.

peevish·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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