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   Pret·ty

   /ˈpridē/

   

   adjective

   • 1. attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome: "a pretty little girl with an engaging grin"
   • ▪ used ironically in expressions of annoyance or disgust: "it is a pretty state of affairs when a young fellow prefers the company of Italian fiddlers to taking possession of his own first command"

   adverb

   • 1. to a moderately high degree; fairly: informal "he looked pretty fit for his age"

   noun

   • 1. an attractive thing, typically a pleasing but unnecessary accessory: informal "he buys her lots of pretties—bangles and rings and things"
   • ▪ used to refer in a condescending way to an attractive person: informal "six pretties in sequined leotards"

   verb

   • 1. make pretty or attractive: "she'll be all prettied up and ready to go in an hour"

   Word Origin Old Englishprættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich ‘brisk, clever’, obsolete Dutch prettig ‘humorous, sporty’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘trick’. The sense development ‘deceitful, cunning, clever, skillful, admirable, pleasing, nice’ has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc.

   Derivatives

   • 1. prettily adverb
   • 2. prettiness noun
   • 3. prettyish adjective

   Scrabble Points: 11

   • P

     3

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

   • T

     1

   • T

     1

   • Y

     4

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