English
startful
From start + -ful.
Formed from start + -ful
Proto-West Germanic *sturtijan ‘to fall down, tumble’
Old English styrtan ‘to leap up, start’
Middle English sterten ‘to leap up suddenly, rush out’
English start
Today it means
adj Tending to be startled; skittish.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / startful