plucky

What it means

1. informalHaving or showing pluck, courage or spirit in trying circumstances.

   For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury, / Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century

   1890, W. S. Gilbert, “The Modern Major-General”, in Songs of a Savoyard

   2 more examples

   "Dam' plucky of you, fixing it up like that. I kept that copper talking...give you a chance. By George, you did it perfectly."

   1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 231

   At the start of the hearing, Mr. Bezos introduced himself as a lucky and humble example of the success of American democracy — the son of a plucky mother and a supportive, immigrant father who “fostered my curiosity and encouraged me to dream big.”

   2020 July 29, “Lawmakers From Both Sides Take Aim at Big Tech Executives”, in New York Times

   Synonyms: brave, spunky, feisty

In a sentence

For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury, / Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century

1890, W. S. Gilbert, “The Modern Major-General”, in Songs of a Savoyard

Where it comes from

From pluck (“nerve, persistence”) + -y.