skittish

 
Pronunciation: /ˈskɪtɪʃ/

adjective

  • (of an animal, especially a horse) nervous or excitable; easily scared: a skittish chestnut mare figurative skittish investors withdrew their money from equity markets
  • (of a person) playfully frivolous or unpredictable: my skittish and immature mother

Derivatives

skittishly

adverb

skittishness

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: perhaps from the rare verb skit 'move lightly and rapidly'