Elfin vs Pert - What's the difference?

elfin | pert |


As a noun elfin

is an elf; an inhabitant of fairy-land.

As an adjective elfin

is relating to or resembling an elf, especially in its tiny size or features.

As an acronym pert is

(operations) p'rogram '''e'''valuation and '''r'''eview ' t echnique]], a method for diagramming and [[analyze|analyzing the flow of dependent tasks and other events in a project.

elfin

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) elven, from (etyl) elfen, .

Noun

(en noun)
  • An elf; an inhabitant of fairy-land.
  • A little urchin or child.

    • Etymology 2

    Partly from attributive use of Etymology 1, but reanalysed by Spenser as if equivalent to .

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Relating to or resembling an elf, especially in its tiny size or features.
  • *
  • *:Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, withon one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 24, author=Nathan Rabin, work=The Onion AV Club
    • , title= Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3 , passage=He’s forced to travel back to 1969 to prevent an evil alien (a shockingly effective, nearly unrecognizable Jemaine Clement of Flight Of The Conchords, playing sort of a psychotic extraterrestrial-biker serial killer) from destroying the world by killing Brolin. Smith is aided in his quest by an elfin , time-jumping alien with psychic powers played by another Coen brothers veteran, A Serious Man star Michael Stuhlbarg. }}
    Synonyms
    * elvish

    pert

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Attractive (of a person); well-formed, shapely (of a part of the body).
  • Lively; alert and cheerful; bright.
  • * 1594 , William Shakespeare, , Act 1, Scene 1:
    • "Go Philostrate, Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments, Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth"
  • * 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."
  • (obsolete) Open; evident; unhidden; apert.
    • (Piers Plowman)

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * pertly * pertness

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To behave with pertness.

    • Anagrams

    * ----