Pert means cheeky in a lively and rather attractive way. A pert reply, a pert little nose, pert and confident.
It is affectionate where cheeky is neutral and impudent is disapproving, and it is more often used of young women than of anybody else, which dates it. Of a physical feature it means small and neat and upturned. Note that the word is a shortened form of an older apert, meaning open.
1adjectivepertCheeky in a lively and attractive way.
“The pert young waitress winked and told him he'd have to wait his turn.”
pert is a quality of lively cheek.
Middle English pert is a shortened form of apert, open or evident, from Latin apertus. Aperture comes from the same opening.
Middle English
pert
English, today
pert
From Middle English pert, perte, aphetic form of apert.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA