different between pert vs frivolous

English

Etymology

Aphetic form of apert.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p?t/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??t/
• Rhymes: -??(?)t

Adjective

pert (comparative perter, superlative pertest)

1. (of a person) Attractive.
2. (of a part of the body) Well-formed, shapely. [from 14th c.]

3. Lively; alert and cheerful; bright. [from 16th c.]
   • 1594, William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Scene 1:

     "Go Philostrate, Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments, Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth"

   • 2001, Donald Spoto, Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, chapter 1, 11:

     He was instantly attracted to Gladys's pert, fey humor and her good nature.

4. (now rare, especially of children or social inferiors) Cheeky, impertinent. [from 15th c.]
   • 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate 2010, p. 333:

     "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; apert. [14th-17th c.]

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Piers Plowman to this entry?)

6. (obsolete) Clever.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:cheeky

Derived terms

• pertly
• pertness

Translations

Verb

pert (third-person singular simple present perts, present participle perting, simple past and past participle perted)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To behave with pertness.

Noun

pert (plural perts)

1. (obsolete) An impudent person.

Anagrams

• 'terp, -pter, pret., terp

Hungarian

Etymology

per +? -t

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?p?rt]
• Hyphenation: pert

Noun

pert

1. accusative singular of per

Ladin

Alternative forms

• part

Etymology

From Latin pars, partem.

Noun

pert f (plural pertes)

1. part

Related terms

• partir

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *peret, from Late Latin paraver?dus.

Noun

pert n

1. horse

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Alternative forms

• p?ert
• p?ert

Descendants

• Dutch: paard, perd
  • Afrikaans: perd
    • ? Phuthi: ipere
    • ? Sotho: pere
  • ? English: prad
• Limburgish: paerd
• West Flemish: peird

Further reading

• “pert”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “pert”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?rt/

Adjective

pert (feminine singular pert, plural perton, equative perted, comparative pertach, superlative pertaf)

1. pretty, attractive
2. quaint

Mutation

English

Etymology

From Latin fr?volus (“silly, empty, trifling, frivolous, worthless”), with the ending modified to match -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f??v.?l.?s/
• Hyphenation: friv?o?lous

Adjective

frivolous (comparative more frivolous, superlative most frivolous)

1. Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner.
2. Of little weight or importance; not worth notice; slight.
3. (law, said of a lawsuit) Having no reasonable prospect of success because its claim is without merit, lacking a supporting legal or factual basis, while the filing party is, or should be, aware of this.
   • 2005, Factcheck.org^[1]:

     One of the major cost drivers in the delivery of health care are these junk and frivolous lawsuits.

Derived terms

• frivolent
• frivolously
• frivolousness

Related terms

• frivol
• frivolity

Translations

Further reading

• frivolous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• frivolous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.