peart definitions

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: alteration of pert Date: circa 1520 chiefly Southern & Midland being in good spirits ; lively • peartly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. US lively; cheerful. Etymology: var. of PERT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Peart Peart, a. [A variant of pert, a.] Active; lively; brisk; smart; -- often applied to convalescents; as, she is quite peart to-day. [O. Eng. & Colloq. U. S.] There was a tricksy girl, I wot, albeit clad in gray, As peart as bird, as straight as bolt, as fresh as flowers in May. --Warner (1592).