spry en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /spɹaɪ/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From British dialectal sprey, from Old Norse sprækr (“nimble, lively”) from Proto-Germanic *sprēkiz (“lively”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preg- (“to strew, jerk, sprinkle, scatter”). Cognate with Icelandic sprækur (“lively, spry”), Norwegian sprek (“lively, healthy”), dialectal Swedish sprygg (“brisk, very active, skittish”). More at spark. Related to sprack, sprig, sprug, freckle.
Meanings
-
Having great power of leaping or running; nimble; active.
What follows is a bunch of nonstop goofery involving chase sequences, dream sequences, fast-changing costumes and an improbable beard, a little musical help from Flight Of The Conchords, and ultimately a very physical confrontation with a surprisingly spry Victoria.
2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club:
-
Vigorous; lively; cheerful; sprightly.
The Captain folded his brow into a look of intense perplexity. 'You seem exceedingly spry for a man who demolished an entire bottle of brandy and better part of an ounce of shag in a single evening.' 'And very nice too,' said the tramp. 'Now as to breakfast?'
1992, Robert Rankin, The Antipope, page 68:"I'm not sure about whether I shall go. I am the most incurably lazy devil that ever stood in shoe leather—that is, when the fit is on me, for I can be spry enough at times."
1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, page 37:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| spriest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| sprier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (21)
nl kwiek (nimble, active) · pl na siłach (nimble, active) · de beweglich (nimble, active) · gd giobach (nimble, active) · pt serelepe (nimble, active) · pt ágil (nimble, active) · ru бо́йкий (nimble, active) · fr alerte (nimble, active) · bg чевръст (nimble, active) · fr vigilant (nimble, active) · de rüstig (nimble, active) · de agil (nimble, active) · cs čiperný (nimble, active) · hu jó erőben levő (nimble, active) · ru подви́жный (nimble, active) · fr actif (nimble, active) · cs čilý (nimble, active) · hu fürge (nimble, active) · pt ativo (nimble, active) · bg енергичен (nimble, active) · fr vif (nimble, active)