restive

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The Word of the Day for September 30 is: 

restive   \RES-tiv\   adjective
          1 : stubbornly resisting control : balky 
    *2 : marked by impatience or uneasiness : fidgety 

Example sentence:
          The audience grew restive as the scholar introducing the acclaimed 
poet droned on and on.

Did you know?
     "Restive" ultimately comes from the Anglo-French word “rester,” meaning 
"to stop, resist, or remain." In its earliest use, "restive" meant "sluggish" 
or "inactive," though this sense is no longer in use. Another early sense was 
"stubborn, obstinate." Specifically, "restive" often referred to horses that 
refused to do as commanded. This general application to unruly horses may have 
influenced the development of the "fidgety, impatient" sense of “restive.” Some 
usage commentators have objected to this newer sense, but it has been in use 
for well over a century, and is now the more common of the uses.





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