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prettyadj.n.int. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: prat n.1, -y suffix1. Etymology: < prat n.1 + -y suffix1. Compare Dutch prettig pleasant, nice, agreeable, comfortable (also Belgian Dutch †pruttig ), German regional (Low German: East Friesland) prettig sportive, funny, humorous, Old Norwegian prettugr tricky, deceitful (compare Old Icelandic prettóttr ), also (with metathesis) Middle Dutch pertich cunning, quick, lively (Dutch regional (southern) pertig , Belgian Dutch pertig , also in sense ‘whimsical, capricious’). Compare prat adj.The Old English forms pætig , pæti show loss of -r- in consonant groups evidenced in other words in later Old English (see A. Campbell Old Eng. Gram. (1959) §475). Between the end of the Old English period and the 15th cent. the word is only attested in surnames (e.g. Simone Praty (1301), Henry Praty (1304), Johannes Pratyman (1343), Willelmus Pritty (1428)); in the course of the 15th cent. it becomes frequent in various senses. The form history and pronunciation history are complex, and present a number of difficulties which have not been adequately explained. Forms showing the reflex of the original short stem vowel (Old English æ , (West Mercian, Kentish) e ) continue to the present day in some varieties of regional English, e.g. pratty , pretty (the latter pronounced with /ɛ/); Surv. Eng. Dial. records pronunciations indicative of the former from Yorkshire and Cheshire, and of the latter from Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Monmouthshire; similar pronunciations are found in Scots and in U.S. regional English. Alongside these in early modern English are found lengthened forms (e.g. praty , preaty ; now apparently obsolete) and forms showing subsequent shortening (e.g. pritty ); the modern standard form has the pronunciation of the latter, but the spelling of a β form. Some of the forms in -te could on formal grounds alternatively be taken as showing prat adj. With the sense development compare (to varying extent) parallel developments at canny adj., clever adj., cunning adj. A. adj. 1. the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > [adjective] OE (1955) 189 Sagax et Gnarus, Astutus uel Callidus, pætig uel abered. OE (1991) 43 Uultis esse uersipelles aut milleformes in mendaciis, astuti in loquelis?: wille ge beon prættige oþþe þusenthiwe on leasungum, lytige on spræcum? c1450 (c1405) (BL Add. 41666) (1936) 991 (MED) Of alle þe bestes..The bee in his bisynes beste is allowed..And pretiest in his wirching to profite of þe peuple. c1475 572 Titivillus kan lerne yow many praty thyngys. c1500 (?c1450) Weddynge of Sir Gawen in (1924) 5 17 (MED) Ther was no mete cam her before, Butt she ete itt vp lesse and more, That praty, fowlle dameselle. 1570 P. Levens sig. Iiv/1 Pretie, scitus..facetus. 1577 R. Stanyhurst Treat. Descr. Irelande vii. f. 27v/2, in R. Holinshed I Andrew White a good humanitian, & a prety philosopher. 1675 C. Cotton tr. Lucian 100 Thou art A pretty fellow with thy Club. 1712 J. Arbuthnot viii. 35 There goes the prettiest Fellow in the World..for managing a Jury. 1768 O. Goldsmith iii. 33 There's not a prettyer scout..after a shy-cock than he. 1994 R. Hendrickson 11 As pretty as a hand, said of a skilled worker. ‘He's about as pretty a hand with rough stock ever come out of these parts.’ 2004 (Nexis) 10 Nov. f6 He's got a scorer's mentality. He's a pretty shooter, and he's pretty good at taking the ball to the basket. the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > [adjective] > ingenious > characterized by ingenuity c1450 C. d'Orleans (1941) 7 (MED) I..callid vnto me hope..As in my childisshe witt if y koude grope Sum praty thing that myght hir plesere bene. c1475 tr. C. de Pisan (Cambr.) (1977) 164 (MED) They by their good wysedome and praty cauteles can putt awey euell suspeccion of the people. a1500 (?a1450) (Harl. 7333) (1879) 46 (MED) He woll with his praty wordis & pleys make me foryete my anger. 1547 tr. A. de Marcourt (new ed.) fiv A gallant naminge hym selfe an aulmosiner..played a prety gewgaw. 1565 J. Jewel (1609) ii. 151 When the right Key of Knowledge was lost and gone, it was time to deuise some other prety pick~locks to worke the feat. 1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ B j A very prety way to escape. 1611 T. Coryate sig. Ee8 In these wals are many strong and auncient Towers,..being built with a pretty kinde of stratagematical inuention. 1671 tr. J. de Palafox y Mendoza vi. 119 The King..at last thought of a very pretty way to suppress him, and this was by a stratagem. 1707 J. Mortimer (1721) I. 84 They have in Kent a pretty way of saving of Labour in the digging of Chalk. 1740 S. Richardson II. 329 All his Stratagems..and all your pretty Counter-plottings. 1895 28 Mar. 4/2 It is a very pretty game, governor, but the people are onto it. 1950 ii. 63 This is a pretty example of the use of the long trump hand to make ruffing tricks. 1992 Sept. 41/1 William Winter pointed out a pretty win for Black. 2004 (Nexis) 24 Dec. 33 Qe6 Qxe6..mate would have been a pretty way to go. 2. the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adjective] > pretty (Harl. 221) 411 Praty, elegans, formosus, elegantulus, formulosus. c1450 (1905) II. 440 A fayr yong man..and he was so pratie & so defte at yong wommen wex evyn fond on hym. 1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry (1971) lxxiii. 104 He made her to vnderstonde, that she was fayr & praty. 1530 J. Palsgrave 776/2 You shall se me waxe pratye [Fr. amignonner] one of this dayes. 1590 R. Greene ii. sig. Bv Her Iuorie front, her pretie chin, Were stales that drew me on to sin. 1616 S. Hieron Dignitie of Preaching (new ed.) in (1620) I. 588 As the saying is, euery thing is pretie when it is young. 1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto xviii. 62 Brought upon the deck, together with a woman and two pretty children. a1717 T. Parnell 34 And all that's madly wild, or oddly gay, We call it only pretty Fanny's way. 1770 H. Brooke (Dublin ed.) V. 180 This Man wanted to be gracious with my pretty young Wife. 1821 W. Scott I. i. 4 Having a cellar of sound liquor, a ready wit, and a pretty daughter. 1870 Mrs. H. Wood II. i. 9 He is not a fine child, for he is remarkably small; but he is a very pretty one. 1915 J. Turner Let. July in C. Warren (2019) 18 She is—from the photos he has shown me—a jolly pretty girl. 1949 M. Miller (1950) 79 I thought here's a kind of pretty girl..and I bet she'd be a good roll in the hay. 2003 W. Gibson viii. 76 Very pretty, our Keiko. You'd love her. the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > aesthetic quality or good taste > [adjective] > pleasing to the aesthetic sense 1442 V. 59/1 Atte Wynchelse, ii Barges, one of Morefores called the Marie, and that other pratte Barge called Trinite. 1472 J. Paston in (2004) I. 579 Forget not..to get..som praty flowyr of the same pryse and not vndyr. 1490 W. Caxton tr. (1885) vi. 150 The place is praty and fayr, and I wyll that it be called Montalban. 1538 J. London in XIII. No. 1342 (P.R.O.) They haue oon fayer orchard and sondry praty gardens and lodginges. c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme cxlviii. 11 in (1998) II. 250 You preaty starrs in robe of night As spangles twinckling. 1628 R. Burton (ed. 3) ii. ii. iv. 259 Brokes, riuers, trees, &c. with many pretty landskips, and perspectiue peices. 1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot i. 35 They sing several pretty Songs in the Turkish and Persian Languages. 1732 Earl of Oxford in VI. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) 164 We stopped at..Narford, the seat of Sir Andrew Fountaine. It is a pretty box. ?1770 H. Chamberlain 641/2 In one part of it [sc. the park] is a pretty wilderness laid out in walks. 1837 3 660 The blanket shawls with their varied coloring looked pretty and comfortable. 1888 M. E. Braddon I. ii. 25 She can have a prettier room at The Hook. 1947 H. Innes i They had made a playground out of the cold snow, and the grim Dolomite bastions were pretty peaks to be admired at sunset with a dry Martini. 1994 Mar. 38/2 If Mali has the most majestic music of West Africa then Guinea has the prettiest. a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich xxvii. 228 (MED) The Ademawnt..hath no More strengthe Aȝens the Eyr..Thanne A lytel praty fownteyne Aȝens Al the grete See. 1473 J. Paston in (2004) I. 465 I sende a lytell praty boxe herwith. a1500 (?a1410) J. Lydgate Churl & Bird (Lansd.) 81 in (1934) ii. 472 He cast for to make Withyn his hous a praty litel cage. 1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in 381/1 A lytle prety sorowe and verye shortely done. 1552 R. Huloet Pratye lyttle one, paruulus. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny II. 503 In his left hand he bare somtime..a little pretty coach. 1665 S. Pepys 16 July (1972) VI. 160 A little pretty daughter of my Lady Wright's most innocently came out afterward, and shut the door to. 1740 S. Richardson II. 203 A pretty little Farm and House, untenanted. 1791 A. Seward 30 July (1811) II. xxix. 95 A pretty little lawn..admits the near hill. 1826 B. Disraeli II. iv. ii. 180 A glass of sherry and a slice of reindeer's tongue, and a little marmalade, and a little Neufchâtel, enable them to toss their pretty little heads at dinner, and ‘not touch any thing’. 1883 J. Ruskin 25 The mother sent me a pretty little note. a1935 W. Holtby (1936) i. v. 54 Pretty little painted sluts minced..off to the pictures or dogs. 1996 16 Mar. (Weekend Suppl.) 44/3 We don't need to bother our pretty little heads about it. 2005 (Nexis) 3 Nov. a2 She's weary of being pushed into pretty little pop girl mode, when the music she loves is grunge and punk. a1500 (a1460) (1897–1973) 115 Hayll, so as I can hayll, praty mytyng! a1529 J. Skelton (1843) I. 127 Bas me, buttyng, praty Cys. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) iii. i. 15 And what hast thou there vnder thy Cloake, pretty Flaminius? View more context for this quotation 1684 J. Bunyan 64 Then said Mr. Great-heart to the little ones, Come my pretty Boys, how do you do? View more context for this quotation 1740 tr. C. de F. de Mouhy I. 82 What is the Matter, my pretty Girl? 1771 T. Smollett II. 112 Then turning to Liddy, he added, ‘What say you, my pretty Redstreak?’ 1850 Ld. Tennyson (ed. 3) 51 While my little one, while my pretty one sleeps. 1891 T. Hardy I. v. 73 Supposing we walk round the grounds to pass the time, my pretty Coz? 1983 A. Grey (BNC) 121 Duclos bent down and seized Hoc by the arm. ‘Come, my pretty lad, you're coming with me.’ 2005 (Nexis) 28 Sept. b8 No guy ever scored..pulling up in his gas-electric hybrid and whistling, ‘Hey pretty lady, I'm scorin' 60 mpg’. 1844 Dec. 542 She's as pretty as a pictur, and as straight as a candle. 1860 June 564 First in the list of cousins stands Grace, my especial pet and companion, a tiny blonde, pretty as a picture, and full of life and fun. 1892 22 Dec. 6/3 Passenger Locomotive no. 30..will be sent out on the road from the shops next week as pretty as paint can make her. 1906 3 151 Pretty as a speckled pup,..exceedingly pretty. 1918 A. Quiller-Couch 176 He stared..across at the grouped rustic buildings, all as pretty as paint. 1926 M. J. Atkinson in J. F. Dobie (1965) 88 As pretty as a speckled pup under a new-painted buggy. 1936 N. Streatfeild vi. 77 Cook said it was as pretty as a picture, and Clara that it put her in mind of something off a Christmas card. 1992 3 Oct. 3/1 Blushing bride Melanie looks as pretty as a picture as she cuddles up to new hubby Joe Mangel. 3. Used as a general term of admiration or appreciation. the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > specifically of person a1450 (1885) 170 (MED) He schall, and he haue liff, Proue till a praty swayne. a1500 (?c1425) (1936) 202 (MED) There come to hire a pratie yonge man and a wel i-schape. a1500 (a1460) (1897–1973) 135 (MED) A pratty child is he As syttys on a wamans kne. ?1520 J. Rastell sig. Bij Than hold downe thy hede lyke a prety man & take my blyssyng. 1576 W. Lambarde 192 The Bishop of Rochester stept into the Pulpit, like a pretie man, and gaue the Auditorie, a clerkly collation, and Preachement. 1629 F. Lenton 3 In processe of time he grew to bee A pretty Scholler. 1660 S. Pepys 11 May (1970) I. 134 Dr. Clarke, who I find to be a very pretty man and very knowing. 1710 S. Centlivre iii. i. 26 By the Mass you are a pretty Man. 1728 H. Fielding i. v. 12 I am afraid, if this Humour continue, it will be as necessary in the Education of a pretty Gentleman to learn to read, as to learn to dance. 1750 M. Delany (1861) II. 563 They are pretty people to be with, no ceremony. 1821 M. Edgeworth 19 Dec. (1971) 298 A great deal of running and laughing among pretty men and pretty maids. 1891 ‘M. Twain’ tr. H. Hoffman (1935) (1935, Ltd. Ed.) 25 ‘Try how pretty you can be Till I come again,’ said she. ‘Docile be, and good and mild.’ 1931 46 1310 You're a ‘pretty’ thing, to treat your mother that-a-way! 1938 13 6/2 Pretty,..good; fine; excellent. ‘He was a real pretty ball player.’ 2005 (Nexis) 11 July (Sports section) 97 He was a pretty player. Cool. He appeared to float through the games on abundant natural ability. the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > specifically of thing the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > [adjective] a1529 J. Skelton (?1545) sig. B.iv Many a prety kusse Had I of this swete musse. 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Pref. ★★ii.v Collectanea, that is to saie a manual of soondrie and pretie histories and saiynges compiled together for all readers. ?1566 J. Alday tr. P. Boaistuau sig. K v There is recited a pretie historie of a noble Romane. 1616 B. Jonson Cynthias Revels (rev. ed.) iii. i, in I. 208 To read them asleep in afternoones vpon some pretty pamphlet. 1660 R. Coke Elements Power & Subjection Pref. 1 in Man's thoughts of life and living are odd things; pritty antitheses. 1667 S. Pepys 1 Sept. (1974) VIII. 412 It is pretty to see how strange everybody looks. 1780 R. B. Sheridan i. i. 7 He has a pretty taste for poetry. 1811 J. Austen II. v. 80 It was not very pretty of him, not to give you the meeting. View more context for this quotation 1867 F. Francis i. 19 Roach-fishing is very pretty sport. 1898 G. B. Shaw iv. 140 And pet me, and say pretty things to me! I wonder you dont offer me a saucer of milk at once! 1937 M. Allingham iii. 43 Go out and say pretty things... We'll all back you up. 1957 P. Kemp ii. 28 I have learnt something of that frantic advance on Toledo and the final battle. It is not a pretty story. 1991 R. Reiner ii. iv. 64 He used to talk to me about his experiences in the old days, which were not pretty I have to tell you. 2001 (Nexis) 25 Aug. You don't want to have them talking endlessly and Andy Townsend saying pretty things to suit the players. the world > action or operation > adversity > [noun] > tribulation, trouble, or affliction > a regrettable state of affairs 1533 T. More ii. v. f. cxxviii Maister masker maketh vs a prety short crede now. 1538 in T. Wright (1843) 198 Sum beynge plucked from under drabbes beddes;..wythe suche other praty besynes, off the whyche I have to moche. 1588 5 This is a pretie matter yt standers by, must be so busie in other mens games. 1631 B. Jonson Divell is Asse iv. ii, in II. 145 Good faith, it sounds a very pretty Bus'nesse! 1742 H. Fielding I. ii. ii. 140 ‘A pretty Way indeed,’ said Mr. Tow-wouse, ‘to run in debt, and then refuse to part with your Money.’ View more context for this quotation 1753 S. Richardson IV. iv. 31 Expecting us to bear with their pretty perversenesses. 1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage I. ii. iv. 211 We drank hard, and returned to our employers in a pretty pickle. 1845 B. Disraeli III. vi. iii. 176 ‘And the new police’, said Mick. ‘A pretty go when a fellow in a blue coat fetches you the Devil's own con on your head’. 1873 W. Black xxi. 348 ‘Well, young lady..and a pretty mess you have got us into!’ 1928 W. S. Maugham vii. 116 She was in a very pretty state of nerves by then. 1992 P. Harding (BNC) 77 A pretty mess, eh, Friar? the world > action or operation > prosperity > [adjective] > in easy circumstances 1915 20 May 7/3 Clyde Wares returned to his club in the metropolis yesterday and according to reports everything is ‘sitting pretty’. 1932 P. G. Wodehouse i. 32 We're sitting pretty. The thing's in the bag. 1932 S. Gibbons xvi. 223 It was nearly half past two, and everybody seemed sitting pretty for the sunrise. 1939 ‘N. Blake’ xviii. 256 I'm sitting pretty for the moment, she thought; but [they]..will go over this district with a fine-tooth comb. 1967 O. Wynd xi. 182 Toba was still sitting pretty, at the most pausing for reassessment. 1992 1 Aug. 15/1 The second anniversary next week of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait finds Mr Hussein sitting pretty in Baghdad. 4. the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > considerable in amount or degree the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > (a) great quantity or amount > (a) considerable amount a1475 Dis. Hawk (Harl. 2340) f. 35, in at Prati(e For A hawke þat may not caste, gyfe hyr halowynsicatre þe quantite of A praty castyng. a1475 in J. O. Halliwell (1855) 88 Caste in your colours that schalbe rede afore a prety whyle, and..let hem boyle togedyris. 1589 Voy. W. Towrson in R. Hakluyt i. 106 Their bowes be short, and of a prettie strength. 1656 P. Heylyn 8 Swine also they have in prety number. 1680 J. Moxon I. xii. 208 With a pretty strength press the middle of one end of your Work. 1761 G. James 63 There are a pretty many Indians among the Kays, about the Cape of Florida. 1790 J. Beekman Let. 4 Dec. in (1956) III. 1213 He..was obliged to take Bonds of People who were possessed of pretty Property, assuring him that it was absolutely out of their power to perform their Promises. 1852 W. M. Thackeray III. i. 5 The transfer of his commission, which brought a pretty sum into his pocket. 1894 ‘A. Hope’ i. 9 Prince Rudolf..was adroitly smuggled off by the Ruritanian ambassador, who had found him a pretty handful. 1932 5 300 Partridge had a ‘pretty deal of discourse’ with ‘our hearty friend, Oglethorpe’. 1990 C. R. Johnson (1991) v. 102 Most nations will pay a pretty whack to possess a creature such as this. 2005 (Nexis) 6 Aug. (Outdoors section) 5 I'd bet a pretty sum that there are more cute china animals and quaint loo signs for sale per head of population than anywhere in England. the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > considerable in amount or degree 1596 T. Nashe sig. V2 It was but pretie and so, for a Latine Poet after others. 1615 G. Markham Eng. Hus-wife in ii. ix. 184 You shall blink it more by much than was the strong Ale, for it must be pretty and sharp. 1633 T. James 75 The weather..was pretty and warme. 1633 T. James 78 It was pretty and cleere. the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > paltry, mean, or contemptible a1522 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil x. Prol. 90 For, mycht thou comprehend be thine engyne The maist excellent maieste devyne, He mycht be reput a pretty God and mene. B. n.the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun] the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [noun] > prettiness 1595 T. Lodge sig. H4 My Muse..To praise a dog hath solemnly profest, And for reward, desires no further grace, Then for a night to grant me Pretties place.] 1616 Court Bk. Orkney & Shetland in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun (1840) II. 188 The man with the plaid said to her she wes ane prettie And he wald lerne her to [etc.]. 1739 Mar. 149/2 The Pretties, and the Agreeables, shall be rated by the Number of their Lovers. 1773 O. Goldsmith ii. 42 Back to back, my pretties. 1814 Father & Son v. i, in III. 399 If you would but comprehend me, my pretty. 1886 G. M. Fenn xvii Wo-ho, my pretties. 1934 9 288/2 A pretty, any good-looking girl. 1952 M. Allingham xiv. 203 He's all right, pretty. He's all right now. 1995 Nov. 26/2 And Menswear, five skinny pretties decked out in shiny happy secondhand gear, really get the girls going. the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > [noun] > ornamentation or decoration > an ornament the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > [noun] > cheap or gaudy > gewgaw or trinket 1736 15 Apr. 2/2 (advt.) Just arrived, and to be sold cheap, a choice variety of Haberdashery,..Dutch Prettys, Silk Cane and Watch Strings, [etc.]. 1762–6 N. E. Eliason (1956) 269 2 Doz. Dutch prettys. 1882 28 Oct. 23/2 A profusion of..shells..completed this list of ‘pretties’. 1895 1 392 Pretty, a picture or similar article; a toy. 1913 J. London 103 Almost, it seemed, she could visualize the women who had kept their pretties and their family homespun in its drawers. 1927 W. E. Collinson 54 I well remember the disgust we children felt at a lady (an Englishwoman) who..called a fancy cake a pretty! 1957 H. Croome xx. 229 Scarves, handkerchiefs, nylons, pretties, were pushed aside, or sent flying. 1991 T. Healy (BNC) 79 He buys her lots of pretties..bangles and beads and rings and things. society > trade and finance > money > sum of money > [noun] > large sum 1846 P. N. Barbour 5 June (1936) 83 Sent over the river today and recovered my little stool which I feared was lost. I would not lose it ‘for a pretty’. 1909 G. Stratton-Porter xxi. 393 I'd give a pretty to know that secret thing you say you don't. 1935 H. L. Davis v. 46 I'll bet you a pretty he ain't got any [money]. 1957 29 July 4/5 I'll bet you a pretty that ‘What's My Line’ couldn't nail 'em by occupation. 1996 F. Chappell (1997) 36 And what will he be thinking of me now, do you suppose? I'd give a pretty to know. 1860 Mrs. H. Wood i. 9 These children..look for their glasses of wine, filled ‘up to the pretty’, as eagerly as we look for ours. 1890 S. S. Buckman ix. 101 He proceeds to pour into the glass whisky nearly up to the ‘pretty’. a1903 in (1903) IV. 616/1 [Northamptonshire] Let me fill your glass up to the pretty. society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > golf course > [noun] > fairway 1907 13 Sept. 3/1 Often..he will get just as far as if he had been lying on the ‘pretty’. 1909 11 Sept. 7/2 I happened upon Daniel Lambert..wielding a heavy mashie among the thistles that flourish along the pretty to the tenth. 1927 12 Feb. 10/5 When the ball went sailing down the pretty, straight and true, what a satisfaction it was to both of them. 1971 W. Evans Introd. 7 Why..do golfers talk about ‘driving up the pretty’? †C. int.1666 S. Pepys 1 Oct. (1972) VII. 303 But pretty, how I took another pretty woman for her, taking her a clap on the breech, thinking verily it had been her. Compounds C1. a. Parasynthetic. 1612 J. Selden in M. Drayton ii. 34 (margin) Wel haired, and pretty-footed; two speciall commendations, dispersed in Greeke Poets. 1888 27 Sept. 3/1 The pretty-footed woman is a sure-footed one. 2004 (Nexis) 14 Nov. m1 Seeking pretty footed Asian female. 1664 S. Pepys 1 Aug. (1971) V. 229 Mrs. Harman is a very pretty humoured wretch. 1702 G. Farquhar Inconstant iii, in (1859) I. 185/2 The pleasantest pretty-humoured gentleman. 1793 28 Dec. 1/3 (advt.) A small pretty toned harpsichord, for four guineas. 1850 6 July 38/2 When she reached the fresh, cool vestibule, she..said, in a pretty-toned voice, ‘Ich danke ihnen! ich danke ihnen!’ 1993 (Nexis) 25 July g7 The..pretty-toned but poorly styled performance. 1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe 36 The man is prettie witted enough. b. Complementary. 1645 D. North 106 Ile take such as I find; so it bee good and handsome drest; pretty looking, freely kind. 1753 R. Poole 154/1 On the Grand Canary, near the Sea, stands a pretty looking town. 1827 W. Scott 21 Dec. (1972) 401 A very sweet pretty looking young lady. 1940 Oct. 119/2 You're a pretty-looking pair, I must say. 1993 V. Headley x. 95 D. took out the pretty looking gun, grey-steel framed with blue polished slide. C2. 1882 H. Friend iii. 62 Virginia Stock. Children of Israel, Little-and-pretty, None-so-pretty, Pretty-and-Little. 1899 24 Nov. 622/1 He probably means valerian or Pretty Betsy, common on the chalk of North Kent. 1955 G. Grigson 87 If you look up at the grey walls of the Cheddar Gorge in the Mendips, you will see more of Ivy and of Pretty Betsy or Red Valerian (Kentranthus ruber) than anything else. 2004 (Nexis) 7 May e33 We went on to the unbelievably tall red valerian, Centranthus rubra [sic] Pretty Betsy, which had to be close to four feet. 1757 J. Hill 32 There is great pleasure in seeing early tulips... The nonsuch, and the winter duke.., the morillon, and the pretty betty..will come very early, if rightly managed. 1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Pretty Betty, flowering Valeriana rubra. 1888 F. A. Lees Add. 789 Centranthus ruber... ‘Pretty Betty’ is the local name in South Yorkshire. 1893 J. Salisbury Pretty-Betty, a flower, also called London Pride. the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > non-British flowers > of south or tropical America 1869 R. F. Burton II. 264 The ‘bonina’, a kind of ‘pretty-by-night’. 1890 Jan. 282/1 Hollyhocks and larkspur and pretty-by-nights blossomed in the door-yard. 1931 W. N. Clute 135 The four o'clock..bears the name of pretty-by-night and lives up to it. 1995 25 June 9 a Pretty-by-nights, lady-fingers, dahlias and cosmos proclaiming their ancient glory. 1717 E. Ward 32 Nature's sportings that arise So frequent in the northern skies,..Are stil'd, The Pritty Dancers, there. 1734 (Royal Soc.) 6 ii. i. 89 I am told that these meteors are much more common in the N. of England than here, and that they go by the name of..pretty dancers. 1808 J. Jamieson Pretty-Dancers, a name given by the vulgar to the Aurora Borealis. 1932 J. M. E. Saxby 189 Aurora Borealis is known as ‘The Pretty Dancers’. 1990 (Nexis) 19 Aug. (Review Suppl.) 32 In the far north [of Scotland], they call the Aurora Borealis the Pretty Dancers. the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > dandy 1600 W. Shakespeare iii. iv. 64 When we are both accoutered like young men, ile proue the prettier fellow of the two. View more context for this quotation 1709 No. 21. ⁋4 That Animal we call a Pretty Fellow; who being just able to find out, that what makes Sophronius acceptable, is a Natural Behaviour; in order to the same Reputation, makes his own an Artificial one. 1753 S. Richardson I. v. 20 By his outward appearance he may pass for one of your pretty fellows; for he dresses very gaily. 1844 W. M. Thackeray Barry Lyndon ii. i, in Sept. 358/1 I was a pretty fellow of the first class. 1994 S. Raphael tr. G. Sand 41 He's a comet that appears at irregular intervals... It's ages since we've heard of that pretty fellow. 1784 R. Bage I. 319 The Earl expectant had somehow linked together the ideas of pleasure and pretty-girl-hood. 1884 17 Sept. She looked charming, acted with a delightful assumption of pretty girlhood and won, fairly, the honors of her role. 1917 23 Mar. 4/3 The idle tears of pretty girlhood. 1967 T. Sturgeon in H. Ellison 348 He concealed all his niceness by bringing his narrowed eyes finally to rest on her upturned face, and still showed no signs of appreciating her prettygirlhood. the mind > emotion > courage > [noun] > one who is courageous 1573 W. Smith sig. D1v I know you wyll defend me lyke prety men, Unto your power: but what is one or tway In comparison to sixe? 1672 M. Bruce 41 The clan Torkil in Lewis were the stoutest and prettiest men. a1676 H. Guthry (1702) 25 If it had not been that the said Francis, with the help of two pretty Men that attended him, rescu'd him out of their Hands. 1768 A. Ross iii. 118 Tooming faulds or ca'ing of a glen, Was ever deem'd the deed of protty men. 1814 W. Scott I. xvii. 258 He..observed they were pretty men, meaning, not handsome, but stout warlike fellows. View more context for this quotation 1824 W. Scott I. xi. 263 He gaed out with other pretty men in the forty-five. 1903 T. Fyfe 31 A stalwart fellow of six feet four in his stockings, and stout in proportion—what the Scots term ‘a very pretty man’. 1932 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ i. 74 She knew as well as she knew her own hand that he was to please all of them,..with black hair on him and a fine red face and shoulders strong and well-bulked, for he was a pretty man. 1876 12 39/2 Saxifraga umbrosa is changed from ‘None-so-pretty’ to ‘Pretty Nancy’ [in the Kelso area]. 1886 J. Britten & R. Holland Pretty Nancy, Saxifraga umbrosa. 1932 R. Fisher 248 Pretty Nancy—Greater Stitchwort. 1955 G. Grigson 90 Greater Stitchwort... Local names... Nancy, also Pretty Nancy and Sweet Nance, Som[erset]. 1888 2 Dec. 21/2 It does not seem necessary to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, for hourly service, counted in the bond, either to servants or children, but they can be told to do things in a pleasant way, that is as far from domineering as it is from the ‘pretty please’ fashion. 1913 29 Jan. 16/4 She begged him with ‘please’ and ‘pretty please’ to see her. 1925 S. V. Benét 27 Never had a mammy to teach me pretty-please. 1959 A. Sinclair v. 74 She was saying, Please. Pretty please. 1964 28 Feb. 28/3 Can I, pretty please? 1973 C. Mason vii. 106 Pretty please, with sugar on it. 1994 Q. Tarantino & R. Avary iv. 156 I need you guys to act fast if you want to get out of this. So pretty please, with sugar on top, clean the fuckin' car. 1781 in (1933) B. 8 102 Brought some Non-Descript Moths which were named as under... The Silver Cloud, a Noctua [and the] Pretty Widow, a Geometra, [both taken at Charlton, 16 May, by Mr. Honey]. 1799 E. Donovan VIII. 38 Phalæna Decussata... It has been..trivially named the Pretty Widow Moth. 1832 S. Reeve 27 Eupithecia Venosata—Pretty Widow Moth. 1961 H. M. Edelsten & D. S. Fletcher (new ed.) II. 213 The Netted Pug (Eupithecia venosata Fab.) This moth has also been named by the old authors ‘the Pretty Widow Moth’. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). prettyv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: pretty adj. Etymology: < pretty adj. Compare earlier prettying adj. and prettify v. Originally and chiefly U.S.1863 10 Aug. He could see them smoothing their hair, putting on little articles of finery, and otherwise ‘prettying up’ before their bits of looking glass. 1877 16 Aug. 3/3 Certainly, a man may be an accomplished diplomatist, and yet not be able to ‘pretty up worth a cent’. 1913 26 Oct. 40/1 Meanwhile, even the President himself is prettying up for the grand event. 1935 M. M. Atwater viii. 72 The nurse..thought her patient should have waked up to tears and moans, and here she was... Prettying up for company! 1960 19 Jan. (Suppl.) 1/3 I had spent an hour and a half readying myself and prettying up. 1992 6 Sept. b3/6 London hasn't wasted paint in prettying up. the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautify the person [verb (reflexive)] the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > damage > damage or injure [verb (transitive)] the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautify [verb (transitive)] > make pretty 1868 May 421/1 It is not necessary to tell how she ‘prettied herself up’ in a worked mull muslin with a rich blue sash, and flowers in her hair. 1894 27 Oct. 2/3 The Yankees, too, have been at it—splashing, dashing, and in quaintly audacious ways prettying stuffs until you think Paris has had a hand at it. 1901 7 July 24/1 Then he shaved and prettied himself up and went out and figuratively kicked a few slats out of his favorite suburban resort. 1953 Oct. 5/2 Again, isn't it rather a sham to seal the roads along which she will travel and pretty up the buildings lining them. 1974 ‘M. Yorke’ v. iii. 154 Elsie's still prettying herself... She's been in the beauty shop all afternoon. 1993 Summer 74/1 Pretty up the picnic table and enjoy the tastes of summer as the sun sets. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022). prettyadv.Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: pretty adj. Etymology: < pretty adj. Compare earlier prettily adv., fairly adv. 1. the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > to a considerable degree 1565 T. Cooper Audaculus, a pretie hardie felow: vsed in derision. 1577 N. Breton sig. A.ii Berlady tis prety good meate. 1598 J. Florio Boccace is prettie hard, yet understood: Petrarche harder but explaned. a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley (1656) v. 61 The Dutch Veny I swallowed pretty wel. a1659 F. Rous Aspirations of Student in (1702) 166 They are of a pretty Ancient Date. 1677 W. Hubbard 44 By the end of November the coast was pritty clear of them. 1727 A. Hamilton II. liv. 288 It is pretty like a young Willow. 1775 R. B. Sheridan ii. ii I'll take pretty good care of you. 1803 at I-Colm-Kill On the S. is a small chapel pretty entire, dedicated to St. Oran. 1888 J. Bryce II. xlvi. 195 Parties in Congress are generally pretty equally balanced. 1932 W. S. Maugham xi. 73 I'm pretty nimble on me feet, but I nearly come arse over tip. 1992 Winter 8/1 You would have to try pretty hard nowadays to avoid hearing that rainforests are disappearing. 2004 (Nexis) 1 Oct. 48 b That dictionary definition sounds pretty good to me, too. the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > [adverb] > almost or nearly 1682 N. Grew vi. 292 Horse-Radish Root is not so Pungent to the Nose, but gets pretty much into the Eyes. 1699 S. Sewall 24 Dec. (1973) I. 419 Our Meeting was pretty much thin'd by it. 1712 J. Addison No. 295. ¶4 Where the Age and Circumstances of both Parties are pretty much upon a level. 1774 F. Burney (1990) II. 285 These two subjects he wore thread-bare; though indeed they were pretty much fatigued, before he attacked them. 1806 D. Roe 27 May (1904) 30 They got sum horsfish & that was pretty much all. 1861 T. Hughes I. i. 4 The other men..lived pretty much as they did. 1937 E. C. Vivian vii. 90 Crandon goes to bed with the dicky-birds, pretty much. 1961 ‘S. Gillespie’ vi. 93 Her flat was pretty much what he had expected. 1996 C. Bateman xxxviii. 297 I offered McLiam a conciliatory slug of Diet Coke. It was pretty much flat anyway. the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > aesthetic quality or good taste > [adverb] > pleasing to the aesthetic sense 1617 T. Middleton & W. Rowley sig. A2v Many haue said it is a handsome pretty spoken infant. 1667 S. Pepys 6 Sept. (1974) VIII. 423 The several states of man's age, to 100 year old, is shown very pretty and solemne. 1782 F. Burney V. 209 You ought to behave pretty, and seem contented. 1820 Ld. Byron 21 Sept. (1977) VII. 177 Why do you not say so at once instead of playing pretty. 1861 ‘G. Eliot’ xvi. 298 I like Aaron to..behave pretty to you. 1876 in C. Mordaunt & W. R. Verney (1896) II. 7 Were halloaed on to a fox from Frog Hall Osiers, and ran him very pretty by Kineton Village. 1891 J. Newman i. 2 We can talk pretty to each other. 1937 25 Dec. 970/2 This submerged Dickens, who would not ‘play pretty’ to any orthodoxy old or new, comes nearer to raising his head in the Christmas Books than in his longer works. 1972 (Dept. of Environment) (ed. 2) 119 Always try to ‘park pretty’; that is, squared up in the middle of the marked space. 1995 (Nexis) 21 Nov. 124 The NFL The Panthers don't play pretty, but they do play smart. Compounds 1768 I. Bickerstaff i. i. 2 I would not waste powder and shot, to wound one of your sober pretty behaved gentlemen. 1880 16 Aug. 2/3 Don't you think it's outrageous that a pretty-behaved girl like you should be working for a living when there's thousands of women no better than you be rolling in their carriages? 1903 W. D. Howells xiii. 82 He is very handsome and very pretty-behaved. 1617Pretty spoken [see sense 2]. 1774 R. Cumberland ii. iv. 33 A very civil pretty spoken gentleman, upon my conscience. 1857 ‘G. Eliot’ Janet's Repentance viii, in Aug. 201/2 As pretty-spoken a woman as you need wish to talk to. 1903 May 410/1 She was bad clean through, though she was real pretty spoken, and 'most everybody liked her. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online June 2022). <  adj.n.int.OE v.1863adv.1565 |
