Jumpy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒʌmpi/

Definitions

1. Nervous, easily startled, or characterized by sudden, jerky movements
2. Tending to react quickly and nervously to unexpected stimuli
3. Showing anxiety through sudden or unsteady movements

Etymology: "Jumpy" is a plain formation: the noun-turned-verb "jump" with the suffix "-y," which turns a word into an adjective meaning "characterized by" or "having the quality of" the base. A jumpy person is one who is prone to jumping, figuratively, at sudden noises or surprises. The suffix has a long pedigree. It descends from an Old English ending "-ig" (spelled "-iġ" in Old English manuscripts), which in turn traces back through Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root, and it became "-y" in Middle English. English has used this same ending for centuries to build adjectives like "sandy," "snowy," and "bumpy," so "jumpy" joins a long-established family of words.

Synonyms: nervous, anxious, edgy

Antonyms: calm, relaxed