Inclined to cause gripping pain; characterized by complaints; resembling or having the quality of gripes.
From 'gripe' plus the adjective-forming suffix '-y' (like 'rainy,' 'sleepy'), creating an adjective that describes something tending toward gripes or gripey sensations.
The '-y' ending is so productive in English that we can apply it to almost anything—'gripe' + 'y' = 'gripey,' 'cramp' + 'y' = 'crampy,' 'itch' + 'y' = 'itchy.' It's a shortcut our brains use constantly!
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