pernickety

English

Etymology

Scots pernickety, persnickety, of uncertain origin; the Dictionary of the Scots Language says that it resembles per- (“intensifying prefix”) + nick, but might be derived from particular + finicky with the form influenced by past participles ending in -et, -it, -ed.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɜː(ɹ)ˈnɪk.ɪ.ti/, /pɜː(ɹ)ˈnɪk.ə.ti/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkɪti, -ɪkəti

Adjective

pernickety (comparative more pernickety, superlative most pernickety)

1. (chiefly British) Fussy; paying undue attention to minor details; fastidious.

   Synonyms: niggly, (US) persnickety; see also Thesaurus:fastidious

   • 1953, Ian Fleming, chapter 8, in Casino Royale, page 48:

     ‘You must forgive me,’ he said. ‘I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink. It comes partly from being a bachelor, but mostly from a habit of taking a lot of trouble over details. It’s very pernickety and old-maidish really, but then when I’m working I generally have to eat my meals alone and it makes them more interesting when one takes trouble.’

2. Requiring attention to minor details.

Translations

paying undue attention to minor details

• Bulgarian: дребнав (bg) (drebnav), педантичен (bg) (pedantičen)
• Dutch: pietepeuterig (nl), pietluttig (nl),
• French: pointilleux (fr) m or m pl, tatillon (fr) m, pinailleur (fr) m
• German: kleinlich (de), pingelig (de), etepetete (de), penibel (de), übergenau (de)
• Russian: приди́рчивый (ru) (pridírčivyj), разбо́рчивый (ru) (razbórčivyj), привере́дливый (ru) (priverédlivyj), въе́дливый (ru) (vʺjédlivyj), суетли́вый (ru) (sujetlívyj), дото́шный (ru) (dotóšnyj)
• Spanish: punctilloso, puntilloso (es)

requiring attention to minor details

• Bulgarian: щекотлив (bg) (štekotliv)
• Danish: pernittengrynet
• French: pointilleux (fr) m or m pl, tatillon (fr) m, pinailleur (fr) m
• German: kritisch (de), genau (de), heikel (de)
• Russian: щекотли́вый (ru) (ščekotlívyj), то́нкий (ru) (tónkij)
• Spanish: puntilloso (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: zimperlich (de), eigen (de)