feisty

 
Pronunciation: /ˈfʌɪsti/

adjective (feistier, feistiest)

informal
  • (of a person, typically one who is relatively small) lively, determined, and courageous: a love story with a feisty heroine who’s more than a pretty face
  • touchy and aggressive: he got a bit feisty and tried to hit me

Derivatives

feistily

adverb

feistiness

noun

Origin:

late 19th century: from earlier feist, fist 'small dog', from fisting cur or hound, a derogatory term for a lapdog, from Middle English fist 'break wind', of West Germanic origin. Compare with fizzle