rocketyadj.
/ˈrɒkᵻti/, U.S. /ˈrɑkᵻdi/ Now rare.
Characterized by sudden, explosive movement. Chiefly figurative: mercurial, volatile; flighty, unreliable.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] > capricious or whimsical
startfulmood?a1300
wildc1350
volage?a1366
gerfulc1374
geryc1386
wild-headeda1400
skittishc1412
gerish1430
shittle1440
shittle-witted1448
runningc1449
volageous1487
glaikit1488
fantasious1490
giggish1523
tickle or light of the sear?1530
fantastical1531
wayward1531
wantona1538
peevish1539
light-headed1549
humoral1573
unstaid1579
shittle-headed1580
toy-headed1581
fangled1587
humorous1589
choiceful1591
toyish1598
tricksy1598
skip-brain1603
capricious1605
humoursome1607
planetary1607
vertiginous1609
whimsieda1625
ingiddied1628
whimsy1637
toysome1638
cocklec1640
mercurial1647
garish1650
maggoty1650
kicksey-winseya1652
freakish1653
humourish1653
planetic1653
whimsical1653
shittle-braineda1655
freaking1663
maggoty-headed1667
maggot-pated1681
hoity-toity1690
maggotish1693
maggot-headeda1695
whimsy-headed1699
fantasque1701
crotchetly1702
quixotic1718
volatile1719
holloweda1734
conundrumical1743
flighty1768
fly-away1775
dizzy1780
whimmy1785
shy1787
whimming1787
quirky1789
notional1791
tricksome1815
vagarish1819
freakful1820
faddy1824
moodish1827
mawky1837
erratic1841
rockety1843
quirkish1848
maggoty-pated1850
crotchetya1854
freaksome1854
faddish1855
vagrom1882
fantasied1883
vagarisome1883
on-and-offish1888
tricksical1889
freaky1891
hobby-horsical1893
quirksome1896
temperamental1907
up and down1960
untogether1969
fanciful-
fantastic-
1843 Foreign Q. Rev. Jan. 239/2 Even the sober, sensible, practical-minded British people..are subject to periodical fits of the most violent insanity; how much more our rockety and sky-sweeping brethren beyond the Rhine!
1881 Nation 32 289 We complained in February of the fact that Mr. Blaine had no legal training, no diplomatic experience,..and a rockety mind.
1905 Outing Nov. 99/2 When this is aggravated by his rockety turns and twists,..the woodcock becomes a problem that only clever snapshooting will solve.
1930 Jrnl. Mammalogy 11 19 When alarmed the animals elevate the tail in characteristic deer fashion, and bound off in a laborious rockety manner.
1946 R. Macaulay They went to Portugal 417 ‘I have often given dinners to my friends, and I have often let off rockets’; and no doubt he had; he was an exuberant, rocketty man.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1843