malapertness

M3A1L1A1P3E1R1T1N1E1S1S1

noun

The condition of being malapert.

OriginMiddle English malepertnesse →
First used 15th–18th c.Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounmalapertness (uncountable)

alternative malepertness

  1. obsoleteuncountableThe condition of being malapert.First known use 15th–18th c.

    if once it be possessed with the boldnesse to despise, and malapertnesse to impugne the opinions which tofore it held in awfull reverence […], they will soone and easily admit an equall uncertainty in all other parts of their beleefe […].

    , II.12

Origin

  1. Middle Englishmalepertnesse
  2. Englishmalapertness

From Middle English malepertnesse; equivalent to malapert + -ness.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

malapertness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malapertness

MLA

“malapertness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malapertness. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malapertness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malapertness.

Source: malapertness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.