Resty

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Tending to favor rest or relaxation ; marked by restlessness or an inability to stay still
2. Disposed toward taking rest and finding comfort ; showing agitation or discomfort that prevents ease
3. Having a quality of repose or peacefulness ; exhibiting fidgeting, anxiety, or unsettled movement

Etymology: "Resty" is a variant of "restiff," an older English adjective meaning restive, that is, stubbornly refusing to move forward, especially of a horse that balks or plants its feet. The variant keeps the same sense of obstinate resistance, so a resty horse is one that will not be driven onward. The underlying idea is one of stopping. Restive words in English trace back to the notion of remaining or resting in place, and the sense of "unwilling to go on" developed from that idea of staying put. The "-ive" and "-iff" endings of "restiff" are later shapes of the same family, and "resty" simply keeps the older word's meaning in a shorter form.