You searched for: “testy
testy (adjective), more testy, most testy
1. Easily irritated or annoyed; impatient, or exasperated; peevish: Maxine has had many experiences with testy people; for example: a testy cab driver, a testy refusal by a clerk to help her, and a neighbor who was upset when he accused her of playing opera music too loudly.
2. Etymology: from Late Latin testa, "skull"; in Latin, "pot, shell".

To see the "head" in testy, it is necessary to look back at the Old French word testu, which is the source of testy. Testu (literally "heady") is derived from the Old French word teste, "head" (Modern French tĂȘte).

In English testy developed another sense, "aggressive, contentious"; which passed into the meaning now used as, "irritable".

Easily irritated or upset.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

This entry is located in the following unit: testa-, test- (page 2)
Word Entries at Get Words: “testy
Easily annoyed or irritated; impatient, or easily exasperated and being peevish about little things. (1)