Buggy

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Pronunciation: /bʌ.ɡi/

Definitions

1. A light cart with two or four wheels drawn by a horse, or software containing errors that prevent proper function
2. A small, lightweight carriage designed for transport or a type of software filled with glitches that disrupts its intended operation
3. A wheeled vehicle often used for short trips or a computer program plagued by bugs that hinder usability

Etymology: The carriage sense of "buggy" has nothing to do with insects. The software sense of "buggy" comes from "bug", and the carriage sense is a separate word that shares its spelling by coincidence, since its origin is not known. Its suffix, though, is traceable: "buggy" is formed from "bug" plus "-y", the common English ending that turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having the qualities of" the base, so "bugs" in the sense of defects gives "buggy" meaning full of defects. The "bug" in that sense is older than the computer age. Its earliest English uses, from the Middle English period, referred to a frightening object or spirit, and the sense of an insect came later. The defect sense is what lies behind the computing meaning, which is the one most readers now meet first.

Synonyms: cart, vehicle, chariot, carriage, trolley

Antonyms: stable, reliable, functional, working, solid