flighty

English

Etymology

From flight +‎ -y. Compare Dutch vluchtig (“volatile; fleeting; cursory”), German flüchtig (“volatile; fleeting; momentary; quick”), Danish flygtig (“elusive; evasive”), Swedish flyktig.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflaɪti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪti

Adjective

flighty (comparative flightier, superlative flightiest)

1. Given to unplanned and silly ideas or actions.
2. (of a bird) That flies easily or often.
   • 2013, Diego Gil, Henrik Brumm, Avian Urban Ecology‎^[1]:

     "We know that flighty birds suffer from greater risk of raptor predation, and I assume that it is useful to understand the effects of urbanization because flighty species may be more vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance."

3. (obsolete) Swift.
   • 1962 July, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Modern Railways, page 44:

     Permanent way and other checks then somewhat slowed down this flighty progress.

Derived terms

• flightiness

 

Translations

given to silly ideas

• Asturian: antoxadiegu, antoxón
• Bulgarian: вятърничав (bg) (vjatǎrničav), лекомислен (bg) (lekomislen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 輕浮／轻浮 (zh) (qīngfú)

• Czech: nestálý, přelétavý
• Esperanto: facilanima
• Finnish: kevytmielinen
• French: candide (fr), insouciant (fr)
• German: flatterhaft (de), schrullig (de), albern (de)
• Greek: ελαφρόμυαλος (el) (elafrómyalos), επιπόλαιος (el) (epipólaios), φαντασιόπληκτος (el) (fantasiópliktos)
• Hebrew: קַל דַּעַת m (qal dá'at)
• Irish: aerach, aidhmeannach, arduallach, giodalach
• Ottoman Turkish: خفیف (hafif)
• Russian: взбалмошный (ru) (vzbalmošnyj)
• Spanish: caprichoso (es), necio (es)
• Welsh: penysgafn (cy), penchwiban (cy)

(of a bird) that flies easily or often

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: hyvä lentäjä
• Irish: eitleach
• Occitan: voladís, volaire
• Spanish: volador (es)

(obsolete) swift