Frisky means lively and playful. A frisky puppy, feeling frisky, frisky lambs.
It describes energetic playfulness in animals and children and is entirely affectionate there. Applied to an adult it usually means amorous, which is a mild euphemism and the reason the word needs a little care. Note frisk, meaning to leap about — and, quite separately, to search somebody by patting them down, which is the same word from the sense of quick movement.
1adjectivefriskyLively and playful.
“The frisky puppy chased its tail and jumped at everyone who came in.”
frisky is a quality of playfulness.
Proto-Germanic
*friskaz — fresh
Old High German
frisc — fresh
Middle Dutch
frisc — fresh
Middle French
frisque — lively, jolly, blithe, fine, spruce, gay
Middle English
frisk — lively, frisky
English
frisk
English, today
frisky
From frisk + -y. frisk comes from Middle English frisk (“lively, frisky”), from Middle French frisque (“lively, jolly, blithe, fine, spruce, gay”), of gem origin, perhaps from Middle Dutch frisc (“fresh”) or Old High German frisc (“fresh”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic friskaz (“fresh”). Cognate with Icelandic frískur (“frisky, fresh”). a doublet of fresco and fresh. More at fresh. Alternative etymology derives frisk from an alteration (due to Old French fresche (“fresh”)) of Old French fricque, frique (“smart, strong, playful, bright”), from Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (“greedy, hungry”), from Proto-Germanic frekaz, frakaz (“greedy, active”), from Proto-Indo-European preg- (“greedy, fierce”). Cognate with Middle Dutch vrec (“greedy, avaricious”), German frech (“insolent”), Old English frec (“greedy, eager, bold, daring, dangerous”). More at freak.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA