pertness

noun — 2 senses

pertness

noun

UK /ˈpəːtnəs/

Etymology From pert + -ness.

1

The quality of being pert; cheekiness, impudence.

  • Dinwiddie, who did not love her, having indeed undergone a hundred pertnesses from the imperious little lady, […]1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:
  • He was completely bald and had a heavy, Chinese-looking countenance which contained, deeply embedded, two eyes of penetration and pertness, always twinkling on the edge of laughter.1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 1021
2

The quality of being pert; firmness (usually of breasts).

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.