peckish
\ PEK-ish \, adjective;
1.Chiefly British Informal . somewhat hungry: By noon we were feeling a bit peckish .
2.Chiefly British Informal . rather irritable: He's always a bit peckish after his nap .
Quotes:
"I say, uncle, is this all the grub great swells have? I'm awfully peckish !" "That's early tea, my boy," was the answer, with a smile.
-- Charlotte Mary Yonge, "That Stick," 1892
"...It has made me feel a bit peckish , a pull like that on an empty stomach; it must be close on twelve o'clock. What do you say, are you beginning to feel that it is lunch time?"
-- George Moore, "Spring Days," 1888
Origin:
Though the origins of peckish are unknown, this term may share its roots with the term pick . This term came to English in the early 1700s.
