awkward – Comes from Old Norse awk, “perverse,” and weard, “in the direction of,” i.e. “turned back upon itself” or “turned backward.” More…
crabby, crabbed – Crabby and crabbed derive from a crab’s sideways movement and habit of snapping (thought to suggest a perverse or irritable nature). More…
peeve – A back-formation from peevish, “perverse, obstinate.” More…
queer – Comes from the German root quer, “across, oblique, perverse.” More…