Pernicky

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Excessively concerned with minor details and hard to please about small matters
2. Fussy and fastidious, insisting on precision in things that others consider unimportant
3. Overly particular and finicky, often making a fuss over trivial points

Etymology: "Pernickety," and its shorter form "pernicky," describe someone who fusses over small details. Its origin is uncertain. It first appears as a Scottish dialect word, and no one has proven where its opening part came from. A link to "nicety," a fine distinction, has been proposed, but it remains a guess. The variant spellings reflect how the word was written down rather than a clear history of its development. "Pernickity" is also common, and "pernicky" is now mostly an informal, shortened form.