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Origin and history of pert

pert(adj.)

mid-13c., "evident, unconcealed, manifest, apparent to the eye;" early 14c., "attractive, comely, of good appearance," shortened form of Middle English apert "open, frank," from Old French apert, from Latin apertus, past participle of aperire "to open" (see overt). Sense of "saucy, impudent" is recorded from late 14c. Less pejorative meaning "lively, brisk, in good spirits" (c. 1500) survives in U.S. dialectal peart (with Middle English alternative spelling). Related: Pertly; pertness.

also from mid-13c.

Entries linking to pert

overt(adj.)

early 14c., "open; unfastened" (originally literal, of clothing, a book, etc.; this sense is now obsolete), from Old French overt (Modern French ouvert), past participle of ovrir "to open," from Latin aperire "to open, uncover," from PIE compound *ap-wer-yo- from *ap- "off, away" (see apo-) + root *wer- (4) "to cover." Compare Latin operire "to cover," from the same root with PIE prefix *op- "over;" and Lithuanian atverti "open," užverti "shut." The meaning "clear, open or plain to view, manifest, revealed" is from late 14c.

peart(adj.)

"lively, in good spirits," a variant of pert (q.v.).

*wer-(4)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cover."

It might form all or part of: aperitif; apertive; aperture; barbican; cover; covert; curfew; discover; garage; garment; garnish; garret; garrison; guarantee; guaranty; kerchief; landwehr; operculum; overt; overture; pert; warn; warrant; warrantee; warranty; warren; wat; Wehrmacht; weir.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit vatah "enclosure," vrnoti "covers, wraps, shuts;" Lithuanian užveriu, užverti "to shut, to close;" Old Persian *pari-varaka "protective;" Latin (op)erire "to cover," (ap)erire "open, uncover" (with ap- "off, away"); Old Church Slavonic vora "sealed, closed," vreti "shut;" Old Irish feronn "field," properly "enclosed land;" Old English wer "dam, fence, enclosure," German Wehr "defense, protection," Gothic warjan "to defend, protect."