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1393, peyvesshe "perverse, capricious, silly," of uncertain origin, possibly modeled on L. perversus "reversed, perverse," pp. of pervertere "to turn about" (see pervert).
Meaning "cross, fretful" first recorded c.1530.
The verb peeve is a 1908 back-formation;
pet peeve "the thing that provokes one most" is first attested 1919.
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