Yesterday, my parents were describing a relative, and they said she was “feisty.” Naturally, I had to pipe in with where that word came from (click here for that Word of the Week), and how I just haven’t been able to use it ever since discovering its origins.
So my mom asked, “Well then, what about spunky? What are its origins?” I didn’t know. So of course, I had to look it up. 😉
Spunky is a word from 1786 meaning “courageous, spirited,” coming directly from spunk, which dates from 1773 with the meaning of “courage, pluck, mettle.” But the word itself is from the 1500s, its original meaning being that of “a spark.” It’s a Scottish word that has its roots in tinder, and I rather like that origin–that courage comes from a word used for what starts a fire. Muuuuuuch better than feisty. 😉
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
LOL–hence why I linked to it. 😉 And oh yes, always makes for a fun conversation!
You know this makes everyone go back and look at feisty, right? It sparked a good conversation between my 18 yr old and myself. 🙂
Right?! LOL. That was quite a discovery for me. 😉
I didn't know that about feisty. Not exactly flattering! Spunky is much better, yes. 🙂